"Governments warned by IATA on high cost of Covid testing"

" \n Governments warned by IATA on high cost of Covid testing \n \n\n \n The International Air Transport Association (IATA) called on governments to take action to address the high cost of COVID-19 tests in many jurisdictions and urged flexibility in permitting the use of cost-effective antigen tests as an alternative to more expensive PCR tests . \n \n\n \n IATA also recommended governments adopt recent World Health Organization (WHO) guidance to consider exempting vaccinated travelers from testing requirements. \n \n\n \n According to IATA\u2019s most recent traveler survey, 86% of respondents are willing to get tested. But 70% also believe that the cost of testing is a significant barrier to travel, while 78% believe governments should bear the cost of mandatory testing . \n \n\n \n \u201cIATA supports\u00a0COVID-19\u00a0testing as a pathway to reopening borders to international travel. But our support is not unconditional. In addition to being reliable, testing needs to be easily accessible, affordable, and appropriate to the risk level. Too many governments, however, are falling short on some or all of these. The cost of testing varies widely between jurisdictions, with little relation to the actual cost of conducting the test. The UK is the poster child for governments failing to adequately manage to test. At best it is expensive, at worst extortionate. And in either case, it is a scandal that the government is charging VAT,\u201d said Willie Walsh, IATA\u2019s Director-General. \n \n\n \n The new generation of rapid tests costs less than $10 per test . Provided a confirmatory RRT-PCR test is administered for positive test results, WHO guidance sees Ag-RDT antigen testing as an acceptable alternative to PCR. And, where testing is a mandatory requirement, the WHO\u2019s\u00a0International Health Regulations (IHRs) \u00a0state that neither passengers nor carriers should bear the cost of testing. \n \n\n \n Read This: Ghs 7.6 billion used in financing Free SHS not from loans taken, Finance Minister says \n \n\n \n Testing also needs to be appropriate to the threat level. For example, in the UK, the latest National Health Service data on testing arriving travelers show that more than 1.37 million tests were conducted on arrivals from so-called Amber countries. Just 1% tested positive over four months. Meanwhile, nearly three times that number of positive cases are being detected in the general population daily. \n \n\n \n \u201cData from the UK government confirms that international travelers pose little to no risk of importing COVID-19 compared to existing levels of infection in the country. At the very least, therefore, the UK government should follow WHO guidance and accept antigen tests which are fast, affordable and effective, with a confirmatory PCR test for those who test positive. This could be a pathway for enabling even unvaccinated people access to travel,\u201d Walsh said. \n \n\n \n Restarting international travel is vital to supporting the 46 million travel and tourism jobs around the world that rely on aviation. \n \n\n \n \u201cOur latest survey confirms that the high cost of testing will bear heavily on the shape of the travel recovery. It makes little sense for governments to take steps to reopen borders if those steps make the cost of travel prohibitive to most people. We need a restart that is affordable for all,\u201d said Walsh. \n "

"Governments warned by IATA on high cost of Covid testing"

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