Coronavirus

Three in four Brazilian women can’t afford Covid-19 tests

Three in four Brazilian women can’t afford Covid-19 tests

A study by website TrocandoFraldas shows that 74 percent of Brazilian women cannot afford Covid-19 tests, while half would like to take one in order to know if they have been infected. 

As of June, the price range for antibody tests in the country varied from BRL 240 to BRL 420 — the minimum wage in Brazil is just above BRL 1,000 — while the RT-PCR test, used to detect active infections, can cost up to BRL 480. However, 14 percent of Brazilian women were only able to afford the test if it cost up to BRL 50. Meanwhile, only 3 percent of women said they had taken an RT-PCR test, while 12 percent took “quick tests,” the reliability of which has been questioned by experts. 

The poll spoke to 5,800 Brazilian women on August 11 and 12.Several initiatives have sprouted in Brazil to reduce the costs of coronavirus tests. Researchers from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, for instance, developed a test that can detect antibodies in the patient’s blood with 90-percent precision ten days after the first symptoms, costing only BRL 2 for the public health system and BRL 5 for private institutions.

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