COVID-19 is a respiratory disorder that can lead to serious sickness, especially in patients who already have diabetes, obesity, or high blood pressure.
SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, is usually tested using two different types of testing.
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, often known as diagnostic or molecular tests, are the first type. These can aid in the diagnosis of COVID-19 by detecting coronavirus genetic material. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) considers PCR tests to be the gold standard for diagnosis.
Antigen testing is the second type. These aid in the diagnosis of COVID-19 by looking for chemicals on the surface of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
COVID-19 rapid tests can deliver results in as little as 15 minutes and do not require lab analysis. Antigen testing is the most common type.
Although fast tests provide immediate answers, they are not as accurate as PCR tests performed in a lab. Continue reading to learn about the accuracy of quick tests and when they should be used instead of PCR tests.
- How Reliable are COVID-19 Rapid Tests?
Rapid COVID-19 testing often yield results in minutes and do not require a specialist’s analysis in a laboratory.
The majority of fast tests are antigen tests, and the two names are sometimes used interchangeably. The FDA has also approved laboratory-based antigen testing, thus the CDC has stopped using the term “rapid” to describe antigen tests.
Rapid testing, often known as point-of-care tests, can be performed at the following locations:
-a doctor’s office
-a pharmacy
-a school clinic
-a, long-term care facility.
-Drive-through testing locations at airports
During the test, you or a medical expert will use a cotton swab to collect mucus and cells from your nose, throat, or both. If you test positive for COVID-19, your sample is usually placed to a strip that changes color.
Although these tests provide speedy results, they aren’t as accurate as laboratory tests because a positive result requires more viruses in your sample. Rapid tests have a significant possibility of returning a false negative.
When a test returns a false negative, it suggests you don’t have COVID-19 when you actually do.
-For those with COVID-19 symptoms, accuracy is important.
The tests accurately showed a positive result an average of 72% of the time for persons with COVID-19 symptoms. The 95% confidence intervals were 63.7 to 79 percent, indicating that the researchers were 95% confident that the average fell between these two numbers.
-Accuracy in those who don’t have signs of COVID-19
People without COVID-19 symptoms accurately tested positive in 58.1 percent of fast testing, according to the study. The 95% confidence intervals ranged from 40.2 percent to 74.1 percent.
-When comparing accuracy during the first week of symptoms to the second week.
When performed during the first week of symptoms, rapid tests were more reliable in detecting a positive COVID-19 result. Rapid testing properly identified COVID-19 in an average of 78.3 percent of patients during the first week, according to the researchers. The average dipped to 51% in the second week.
-Probability of a false positive result from a fast test
False-positive results are uncommon with rapid tests. When you test positive for COVID-19 when you don’t have it, this is known as a false positive.
In the March 2021 assessment of studies cited above, the researcher discovered that 99.6 percent of participants had a positive COVID-19 result due to a quick test.
- Why is it Utilized if it is Less Accurate?
Despite the significant risk of a false negative result, fast COVID-19 testing provides a number of advantages over PCR tests.
- Rapid Tests:
-can offer results in minutes rather than days
-they’re more portable and accessible than lab tests
-they’re less expensive than lab tests
-they don’t require a specialist or a lab
COVID-19 testing is available in many airports, arenas, theme parks, and other busy areas to check for probable positive cases. Although rapid tests will not catch every instance of COVID-19, they will catch at least some cases that would otherwise go undiscovered.
- What to Do if You Think You have COVID-19?
If you think you have COVID-19, you should isolate yourself from others as soon as possible. Unless you’ve been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus or have had a positive COVID-19 result within the last three months, the CDC continues to recommend a 14-day quarantine.
If you have a negative test result on day 5 or later, your local public health department may propose a 10-day or 7-day quarantine.
