Ministry of Health warns about false Covid tests that are sold online

These tests represent a health risk, as their results are not reliable.

Mexico City, (January 15, 2022).- The Sanitary Protection Agency of the Ministry of Health of Mexico City (Sedesa) alerted the population for the sale of eight brands of rapid Covid-19 tests on social networks that are not authorized by the Federal Commission for Risk Protection Sanitary (Cofepris).

The capital dependency called for them not to be acquired, since these tests represent a health risk, as they can be falsified or apocryphal and, therefore, their results are not reliable.

He pointed out that these tests could give false negatives and those who have the virus, without knowing it, spread the disease among their relatives.

The Secretary of Health, Oliva López Arellano, indicated that the alert goes two ways: on the one hand, tests should not be purchased online or offered in chat groups, because they are not authorized by Cofepris and therefore not they have validation that they meet all health safety requirements, in addition to the fact that there is no certainty that they are useful and correctly identify the virus.

He added that given the high demand, people resort to many strategies to get a test, but if you buy any of the eight brands that do not have the authorization, you run the risk of having a questionable result since there is no guarantee because there is no it is an input that is in a position to be used with safety and quality.

He assured that the Health Protection Agency has carried out around 330 operations aimed at detecting supplies related to Covid-19 in laboratories and pharmacies, for which he invited the population to report their sale so that they go to verify any establishment, even in tianguis.

The brands that are mainly promoted on Facebook without authorization are Realy Novel Coronavirus, Antigen Detection Kit, SARS-CoV-2 IgG/IgM Rapid Test, Fasted: Covid19IgG/IgM Rapid Test Device, Vivadiag: SARS-CoV-2 Ag; Hotgen Covid-19 Antigen Schnelltest VE1, and One Set Test for SARS-CoV-2 antigen.

The agency urged people to report it on the Internet page https://www.gob.mx/cofepris/acciones-y-programas/denuncias-sanitarias if they identify the illegal sale of rapid tests.

Source: La jornada maya

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