What To Know About Rapid Covid Testing?


 As the world continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, the testing initiative remains contentious and uneven. There have been concerns about availability, accuracy, objectives, and delays in results. Could the wider introduction of a rapid COVID test help?

There are pros and cons to this form of COVID testing, which delivers results in minutes but has less reliable results than other COVID tests. Availability of rapid testing varies by location, so you may or may not have access to one. Be prepared with what’s known so far about rapid covid testing.

Covid tests

Covid tests fall into two main categories:

a.   Diagnostic test - tell you whether you have an active covid infection. Currently, there are rapid antigen tests and more precise molecular tests. The main molecular test in use is based on PCR, but there are other types of diagnostic molecular tests.

b.   Antibody test - tell you whether you had a prior covid infection. Again, there are rapid tests as well as conventional laboratory serology tests.

How Rapid Covid Test Works?

rapid covid test near me is a type of diagnostic test. Rapid tests usually measure viral antigens, which are substances that tell your body to produce an immune response to an infection. Antigens are not the same as antibodies, which your immune system produces in response to signals from antigens. Trained personnel in a variety of settings can administer a covid rapid antigen test.

The other type of diagnostic test is the PCR test, which detects molecules of viral genetic material (RNA). It is labour intensive and performed in an accredited laboratory. The molecular test is the standard diagnostic test for covid, but you may have to wait several days or more to get the results.

Conclusion

Rapid antigen, antibody and molecular tests are so-called point-of-care tests, where results are returned at the time the sample is taken, usually within 15 minutes.

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