After the outbreak of the coronavirus, countries, States, and governments around the world implemented objective-driven and sustainable testing strategies for the COVID-19 to aid the public response(staying indoors unless it’s necessary for one to go out and social distancing) to the virus. In coordination with scientists all over the world, governments enforced several types of COVID-19 testing through which an individual could know if he or she has been infected with the virus. Individuals having coronavirus-like symptoms were encouraged to present themselves for testing either in hospitals or established test centers.
One of the ways an individual can get a COVID-19 test is through molecular tests commonly known as PCR tests. In general, the PCR tests sensitively detect the genetic material of the coronavirus from the samples collected by nasal and throat swabs. Reagents and machines which help in analyzing the data are used in these tests. From the time the samples are received at the laboratory, it takes a couple of hours for the results to come out. It is worth noting that these tests have an accuracy of close to 100%. However, due to the intense processes of sampling and analyzing the test data, sometimes PCR tests have reported false-negative results of about 15% to 20% of the samples recorded. As such it was widely recommended for a second test to be done 14 days after the first test for confirmation purposes.
Another way of getting a COVID-19 test is by the antigen tests. Antigen test COVID-19 reports are the most rapid diagnostic reports in coronavirus testing. Antigen tests are usually taken with nasal and throat swabs and thereafter detect a protein in the samples taken that is part of the virus. As such, antigen tests are most useful in identifying the severity of the virus in an individual. Despite being economical and faster, antigen tests are laser accurate in coronavirus testing with false negatives of up to 20% of all the samples recorded.
For more information on how to get a COVID-19 test, visit our website at https://www.harleymedic.co.uk/