Your test is most likely to report a false-negative if the virus is present in low amounts.Īntigen tests are also referred to as rapid tests because some clinics can provide you results within minutes. Antigen tests (serological test)Īntigen tests, also called serological tests, attempt to detect certain proteins on the surface of the virus.Ĭompared to the PCR tests, they come with an increased risk of a false-negative, meaning that you may have the virus in your body, but your test shows that you don’t. These tests don’t need to be sent to a lab and can be performed at home. Rapid PCR tests are now available, although there is some concern among healthcare professionals about their accuracy. The sample is then sent to a lab for processing.Ĭlinics that can process your results onsite may be able to provide you with your results within hours.Ĭlinics that have to send away for results - or clinics with a backlog of tests - may take a week or more to return your results. By day 21, it’s dropped to around 30 percent.ĭuring a PCR test, your doctor typically takes a swab of your nose and throat. However, the effectiveness of the test in identifying the presence of the new coronavirus quickly decreases to roughly 70–71 percent between days 9 and 11. They’re considered the “gold standard” of testing, and many countries now require a mandatory PCR test within 48 to 72 hours before arrival. When taken within 5 days of the onset of your symptoms, they correctly identify a positive test more than 90 percent of the time, if done within 5 days of symptoms, according to a 2020 study. They detect the DNA of the virus that causes COVID-19 to see if you’re currently infected. Molecular tests go by several other names such as nucleic acid amplification (NAATs) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests. Molecular tests generally take longer but are more accurate. Molecular tests and antigen tests are the two types of tests that can tell you if you currently have COVID-19. Antibody tests can’t diagnose whether you currently have COVID-19. The two categories of COVID-19 tests are antibody tests and diagnostic tests.Īntibody tests help identify antibodies that indicate you’ve previously contracted the new coronavirus.Īntibodies are proteins that your immune system makes after mounting a successful immune response to the virus that causes COVID-19.
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