While the World Health Organization declared the end of COVID-19 as a public health emergency in May 2023, COVID-19 continues to be a global threat. COVID-19 will not disappear, but countries will be able to transition towards integrating COVID-19-related measures into routine health services and programs, eventually reaching an endemic stage. Endemicity does not mean a disease poses no public health risks. It is possible that new virus variants and recombinants could emerge with high transmissibility linked to intrinsic biology and novel antigenic properties. Thus, while countries transition to a post-pandemic scenario, testing and surveillance, should continue as a priority. PW had the responsibility of bringing together a group of regional experts to create a consensus that examines the role and value of differential diagnosis in the management of ARIs through POC rapid testing in a post-pandemic scenario, paying particular attention to COVID-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The consensus concluded that POC rapid testing can serve to improve ARI case management, epidemiological surveillance, research and innovation, and evidence-based decision-making. Based on the understanding of the value and barriers to implementing POC testing, a broad range of stakeholder can use elements of this document, including a set of recommendations, to guide their efforts in the implementation of this strategy in LATAM.
Reference: Alvarez-Moreno, C.A.; de Araújo, E.S.A.; Baumeister, E.; Nogales Crespo, K.A.; Kalergis, A.M.; Muñoz Medina, J.E.; Tsukayama, P.; Ugarte-Gil, C. Differential Diagnosis in the Management of Acute Respiratory Infections through Point-of-Care Rapid Testing in a Post-Pandemic Scenario in Latin America: Special Focus on COVID-19, Influenza, and Respiratory Syncytial Virus. COVID 2024, 4, 221-260. https://doi.org/10.3390/covid4020017