What are the Different Types of Covid Tests?

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The coronavirus has been spreading at a very rapid pace all over the world. After a whole year has passed, the number of cases that have been identified so far are close to 75 million. This level of infection has not been seen for an exceptionally long time and the effect it has had on global economies and the health care system has been significant. To curb the problem, the most effective way that has been identified so far is finding out who is positive and isolating them. To do that, tests have been developed by many companies across the world, each of them taking a unique path. The most used and reliable tests that we have seen so far have been shared here. 

PCR Testing

This is one of the most commonly present testing methods in the world. This is a method that detects the presence of coronavirus by tracing its RNA. The ribonucleic acid or RNA is a substance that you can only find in bodies that the virus has infected. Instead of checking to see if the body has had an immune response, this method targets the source of the problem itself. It is considered to be a reliably accurate method of testing and is, therefore, the most commonly used method of all. There is a 30% chance, however, that the test may give a false negative. It is mostly recommended to use it for checking if the virus is present in someone and not for giving them an all-clear. 

Serologic Testing

This is a method that people are using mostly to check if a person with no symptoms has had the coronavirus or not. In this test, a blood sample is taken from the patient to check for antibodies but the immune system may have developed. Typically, this test is done after approximately 2 weeks off the expected date when the person may have gotten infected. This is an indirect confirmation of whether a person has had the coronavirus and it also shows if they are ready to rejoin other people. However, people who use this test only should keep in mind that there is no indication that immunity is permanent and there have been cases where people are infected by the virus the same way. 

Lateral Flow Assay

This is a type of test that was developed by Sona Nanotech, a Canadian firm that wanted to increase the speed at which the tests were being done. After developing the test, the firm claimed that it could give results in just 15 minutes and cost under $50. Furthermore, this test is also safe for administration by people who are not medically trained. This is a particularly effective test for situations where the patient cannot go to a hospital on a testing center and requires home-based testing. A similar type of test is also present for detecting the presence of HIV and has been used for many years. 

Rapid Antigen Testing

This is a method in which swab testing is done using analyzer devices that can produce results in just two hours. The device uses specially designed test cartridges that contain biological elements in them. These elements react with the saliva collected using the swab and provide information on whether a person has the coronavirus or not. The speed with which it can determine the presence of infection is certainly effective and much better than the results provided by PCR testing.

Conclusion

While all of these tests are being used across the world, the rapid covid tests, if provided to a large number of medical institutions, could play a significant role in making sure that we can deal with the pandemic effectively. Without globally available vaccines, rapid testing is the only effective way of dealing with the virus.

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