Objectives Home diagnostics are essential to assist members of the general population become active agents of case detection. In Indonesia, a country with an over‐burdened healthcare system, individuals could use rapid SARS‐CoV‐2 antigen tests to self‐detect COVID‐19. To assess the general population's values and attitudes towards SARS‐CoV‐2 self‐testing, a survey was conducted in mid‐2021 in Jakarta and the provinces of Banten and North Sulawesi. Methods This was a quantitative survey that approached respondents in >600 randomly selected street‐points in the three study geographies in July–August 2021. A 35‐item questionnaire was used to collect data on key variables, such as likelihood to use a SARS‐CoV‐2 self‐test, willingness to pay for a self‐test device, and likely actions following a positive self‐test result. Bivariate and multivariate regression analyses were performed. Results Of 630 respondents (318 were female), 15.53% knew about COVID‐19 self‐testing, while 62.70% agreed with the idea of people being able to self‐test at home, unassisted, for COVID‐19. If self‐tests were available in Indonesia, >60% of respondents would use them if they felt it necessary and would undertake regular self‐testing for example weekly if recommended. Upon receiving a positive self‐test result, most respondents would communicate it (86.03%), request post‐test counselling (80.79%), self‐isolate (97.46%), and/or warn their close contacts (90.48%). Conclusions The use of rapid SARS‐CoV‐2 antigen detection tests for self‐testing appears acceptable to a majority of the Indonesian public, to learn whether they have COVID‐19. Self‐testing should be prioritised to complement to an over‐burdened healthcare system by helping the public, asymptomatic individuals included, become agents of change in epidemiological surveillance of SARS‐CoV‐2 in their communities.

Background Limited health research capacities (HRC) undermine a country’s ability to identify and adequately respond to local health needs. Although numerous interventions to strengthen HRC have been conducted in Africa, there is a need to share the lessons learnt by funding organizations, institutes and researchers. The aim of this report is to identify best practices in HRC strengthening by describing a training programme conducted between 2016 and 2017 at the Saint Joseph’s Catholic Hospital (SJCH) in Monrovia (Liberia). Methods A call for trainees was launched at the SJCH, the Liberia Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Authority (LMHRA), the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Mother Pattern College of Health Sciences (MPCHS) and community members. Selected trainees participated in four workshops on Good Clinical Laboratory Practice (GCLP), standard operating procedures (SOP) and scientific communication, as well as in a 5-months eLearning mentoring programme. After the training, a collectively-designed research project on malaria was conducted. Results Twenty-one of the 28 trainees (14 from the SJCH, 3 from LMHRA, one from MPCHS, and 10 community representatives) completed the programme satisfactorily. Pre- and post-training questionnaires completed by 9 of the trainees showed a 14% increase in the percentage of correct answers. Trainees participated in a mixed-methods cross-sectional study of Plasmodium falciparum infection among pregnant women at the SJCH. Selected trainees disseminated activities and research outcomes in three international meetings and three scientific publications. Conclusion This training-through-research programme successfully involved SJCH staff and community members in a practical research exercise on malaria during pregnancy. The challenge is to ensure that the SJCH remains active in research. Harmonization of effectiveness indicators for HRC initiatives would strengthen the case for investing in such efforts. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12936-019-2767-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Objectives: To understand the public’s perceptions around rapid SARS-CoV-2 antigen self-testing in Kenya, including the drivers of acceptability, willingness to pay, and adherence to hygiene and prevention recommendations following a positive self-test.Methods: A household-based, cross-sectional survey, using a 35-item questionnaire, was conducted in Mombasa and Taita–Taveta counties, Kenya, during August 2021. Individuals aged ≥18 years were enrolled using a stratified sampling approach.Results: There were 419 participants (mean age 35.7 years). A minority (10.5%) had ever tested for SARS-CoV-2. If SARS-CoV-2 self-testing were available, 39.9% and 41.5% would be likely and very likely, respectively, to use it. If unavailable free-of-charge, 63.01% would pay for it. Multivariate analyses suggested that people in rural areas (Coefficient 0.30, 95%CI: 0.11–0.48, p = 0.002), aged 36–55 (Coefficient 0.21, 95%CI: 0.03–0.40, p = 0.023), and employed full time (Coefficient 0.32, 95%CI: 0.06–0.58, p = 0.016) would have more odds to adhere to recommended hygiene and prevention actions.Conclusion: SARS-CoV-2 self-testing was considered acceptable. Availability of self-testing could expand access to COVID-19 testing in Kenya, particularly among rural communities who have limited access to testing, and among mildly symptomatic individuals.

Objectives: Innovative diagnostics are essential to assist members of the general population become active agents of case detection. In Indonesia, a country with an over-burdened healthcare system, individuals could use self-tests for SARS-CoV-2 to determine their COVID-19 status. To assess the acceptability of SARS-CoV-2 self-testing among the general population in Indonesia, a cross-sectional, population-based survey was conducted in mid-2021 in Jakarta and the provinces of Banten and North Sulawesi. Methods: This was a survey that approached respondents in >600 randomly selected street-points in the three study geographies. A 35-item questionnaire was used to collect data on key variables, such as willingness to use and to pay for a SARS-CoV-2 self-test and likely actions following a positive result. Bivariate and multivariate regression analyses were performed. Results: Of 630 respondents, (318 were female), 14% knew about COVID-19 self-testing, while 62.7% agreed with the concept of people being able to self-test at home, unassisted, for COVID-19. If self-tests were available in Indonesia, >60% of respondents would use them if they felt it necessary and would undertake regular self-testing e.g., weekly if recommended. Upon receiving a positive self-test result, most respondents would communicate it (86.03%), request post-test counseling (80.79%), self-isolate (97.46%), and/or warn their close contacts (n=570, 90.48%). Conclusions: SARS-CoV-2 self-testing would be acceptable to a majority of the Indonesian public, to learn whether they have COVID-19. Self-testing could contribute to an over-burdened healthcare system by helping COVID-19-infected people become agents of change in epidemiological surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in their communities.