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COVID-19 is a respiratory illness that can cause serious illness, especially in other people with pre-existing physical conditions such as diabetes, obesity, or high blood pressure.
Two types of tests are used to identify an existing infection with SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
The first type is a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, also called a diagnostic test or molecular test. A PCR test can help diagnose COVID-19 by detecting the genetic curtains of the coronavirus. PCR tests are the popular gold for diagnosis through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The type of moment is an antigen test. These tests make it possible to diagnose COVID-19 by looking for certain molecules present on the surface of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Rapid tests are COVID-19 tests that can take effect in as little as 15 minutes and do not require laboratory tests. They take the form of antigen tests.
Although immediate tests can provide quick results, they are not as accurate as PCR tests analyzed in the laboratory. Read on to find out how accurate the immediate tests are and when they are used as PCR tests.
Rapid COVID-19 tests take effect in minutes and do not need to be analyzed in a laboratory by a specialist.
Most immediate tests are antigen tests, and the two terms are used interchangeably. However, the CDC stopped using the term “immediate” to describe antigen tests, as the FDA also approved laboratory antigen tests.
Rapid tests, known as point-of-care tests, can be performed at:
During the checkup, you or a health care professional will insert a cotton swab into your nose, throat, or to collect mucus and cells. Your pattern is then implemented on a strip that adjusts the color if your control is positive for COVID-19.
While those tests provide quick results, they are just as accurate as lab tests because they require more virus in their pattern to report a positive result. Rapid tests have the greatest threat of giving a false-negative result.
A false negative means the check shows you don’t have COVID-19 when you do.
Home checks are just as accurate as past popular PCR checks, but they still play a role in detecting COVID-19 cases that might otherwise go unnoticed. Like other COVID-19 antigen checks, internal COVID-19 controls are more likely to get a false negative than a false positive, meaning screening is more likely to imply you don’t have COVID-19 when you have it rather than reporting it that you have it when you don’t.
In an August 2021 study, researchers compared the validity of home antigen tests with PCR laboratory tests for detecting COVID-19 infection. Within days 0 to 12 of symptom onset, home tests knew 78. 9% of other people who had the virus and 97. 1% of others knew they did not have the virus.
Taken within 3 days of symptom onset, internal testing detected 96. 2 percent of COVID-19 cases. The researchers found that tests done 3 days after symptom onset were almost as accurate as tests done on the day symptoms began.
A March 2021 review of studies reviewed the effects of 64 precision studies comparing commercially produced immediate or molecular antigens.
The researchers found that the accuracy of the tests varies widely. Here’s a look at their findings.
For others with COVID-19 symptoms, tests came back positive on average 72% of the time. The 95% confidence periods ranged from 63. 7% to 79%, meaning the researchers were 95% sure of themselves that the mean was somewhere between those two values.
The researchers found that other people without COVID-19 symptoms tested positive in 58. 1% of immediate tests. The 95% confidence periods ranged from 40. 2% to 74. 1%.
Rapid tests should rather give a positive result for COVID-19 when administered in the first week of symptoms. The researchers found that immediate testing correctly detected COVID-19 in an average of 78. 3% of cases in the first week.
On the week, the average dropped to 51%.
The researchers discovered a wide diversity of accuracy among manufacturers.
Coris Bioconcept achieved the lowest score and provided a positive COVID-19 result in only 34. 1% of cases. SD Biosensor STANDARD Q achieved the highest score and tested positive for COVID-19 in 88. 1% of people.
In another study published in April 2021, researchers compared the accuracy of four types of immediate COVID-19 antigen tests. The researchers found that all four tests detected a positive case of COVID-19 almost always and detected a negative case of COVID-19. case almost all the time.
Here is a summary of their findings:
In other people who have symptoms of COVID-19, the antigen test is more reliable because there is more virus to capture in the sample.
Quick checks rarely give a false positive result. A false positive is when you test positive for COVID-19 when you don’t have it.
In the previously discussed review of the March 2021 studies, the researcher found that immediate tests came back positive for COVID-19 in 99. 6% of people.
Despite the main threat of getting a false-negative result, immediate COVID-19 testing offers several benefits over PCR testing.
Rapid tests:
Many airports, stadiums, theme parks and other crowded spaces will offer immediate COVID-19 testing to detect possible positive cases. Rapid tests may not stumble upon all COVID-19 cases, but they may stumble upon at least some cases that would have otherwise gone without stumbling.
If your immediate check shows that you don’t have coronavirus but have symptoms of COVID-19, you may have gotten a false negative. It is a smart concept to verify your negative result with a more accurate PCR control.
PCR tests are more accurate than immediate tests. CT scans are rarely used to diagnose COVID-19. Antibody tests can be used to diagnose an infection further.
Covid PCR tests continue to be the reference for diagnosing COVID-19. A January 2021 study found that mucus PCR tests diagnosed COVID-19 in 97. 2% of cases.
CT scans are not used to diagnose COVID-19, but they can potentially identify COVID-19 by identifying lung problems. However, they are less convenient than other tests and have difficulty ruling out other types of respiratory infections.
The same January 2021 study found that CT scans detected a positive case of COVID-19 91. 9% of the time, but detected a negative case of COVID-19 only 25. 1% of the time.
Antibody tests look for proteins produced by your immune formula called antibodies that suggest a coronavirus infection further. Specifically, they look for antibodies called IgM and IgG. Antibody tests diagnose an existing coronavirus infection.
The January 2021 study found that IgM and IgG antibody tests detected the presence of those antibodies in 84. 5 percent and 91. 6 percent of cases, respectively.
Most other people with COVID-19 develop mild illness. If you think you have COVID-19, isolate yourself from others as soon as possible. CDC continues to propose a 5-day quarantine unless you are fully vaccinated in place of coronavirus or have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 3 months.
Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room if you have the following:
Discoloration of the nails, skin, or lips is a sign of lack of oxygen. However, other darker-skinned people may not recognize those symptoms as easily as other light-skinned people.
Research suggests that COVID-19 tests are most accurate when used in the first week after symptoms begin.
The threat of getting a false-negative result is greater with immediate testing. For other people without symptoms, there is a higher chance of getting a false-negative result compared to other people with symptoms. On the other hand, immediate tests give a false positive. less than 1% of the time.
An immediate COVID-19 test can be a useful initial test to see if you have the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. However, if you have symptoms and your immediate test is negative, it’s a good idea to check their effects with a PCR. control.
Last exam on January 5, 2022
Our experts monitor the area of fitness and wellness, and we update our articles as new data becomes available.
Current version
June 5, 2023
Written by
Daniel Yetman
Edited by
Romain Gokhman
Copy edited by
Naomi Farr
January 5, 2022
Medically tested by
Michaela Murphy, AP-C
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