With an aim to better monitor the epidemiological situation, the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Cyprus has purchased 200,000 antigen rapid tests, which are already being used.

The antigen rapid test does not detect COVID-19 but determines whether a person has contracted the virus or not.

According to a press release, these tests are being used across Europe to test a large portion of the population in a short time, and isolate persons who tested positive, in order to constrain the spread of the virus to the community.

In Cyprus, the positive rapid test results are then verified by molecular tests.