What to Do When Someone in Your Family Tests Positive for Covid
Would yous take a COVID-19 test that provides results in 15 minutes or less? All it takes is a nasal swab and a sample card coated with a item antigen-detecting chemical. It sounds like information technology could change testing as nosotros know it — and it has.
Rapid testing is gaining widespread use in schools, workplaces, airlines and fifty-fifty Hollywood. Despite its mass appeal, some public figures have received inconsistent results, leading many to inquire, "How reliable are these tests?" Before yous request one, learn how rapid testing works and how it should be used, co-ordinate to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.South. Nutrient and Drug Administration (FDA).
What Is Rapid Testing?
During the pandemic, healthcare companies — Quidel, Abbott and Becton Dickinson and Company — have developed antigen tests, also known as rapid diagnostic tests. These tests crave a fungus sample from a olfactory organ swab to look for antigens — the proteins on the surface of the SARS-CoV-two virus. Right now, rapid tests assist identify people who take high levels of the virus in their systems.
Because the examination is piece of cake to produce, distribute and utilise, it has get a game-irresolute response to the pandemic, assuasive as many people as possible to go tested at a doc's office or customs clinic. After the FDA approved the test for emergency utilise, the U.Due south. Department of Health and Homo Services purchased more than than 150 million tests for nursing homes and schools. United Airlines also rolled out rapid COVID-19 tests for its passengers, setting the phase for other airlines to follow.
Although the rapid version is a remarkable stride for increasing comprehensive testing, a new set up of issues has arisen every bit its use has get more than widespread.
Recently, high-contour public figures accept received unusual rapid exam results, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk. "Something extremely bogus is going on," Musk tweeted. "Was tested for covid four times today. 2 tests came back negative; ii came back positive. Same machine, same examination, same nurse."
Another celebrity who experienced the same upshot is singer-songwriter Erykah Badu, who tested positive in one nostril and negative in the other. "No symptoms. Was tested for COVID. Same machine. Left nostril positive. Right nostril negative," Badu tweeted. Why is this happening?
To understand the complications of faster tests, it'southward helpful to know how polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests — the just type of test bachelor at the beginning of the pandemic — piece of work. The PCR version requires the utilize of chemical reagents, costly lab machines and management by trained professionals. It uses samples of mucus from the olfactory organ or throat to detect small and large traces of genetic material that merely comes from the virus. This makes PCR tests highly accurate in identifying infected people, but it takes hours or weeks to receive results.
Unlike PCR tests, the rapid version misses small amounts of the virus; it only detects a college viral load. This means antigen tests might misidentify an infected person who just has a small number of the viral proteins nowadays. On top of that trouble, the FDA warned clinical laboratories and healthcare providers that antigen tests can requite false negative results. The exam's errors worry many health experts because failure to detect the virus in people can result in outbreaks.
Despite its limited accurateness for negative tests, healthcare providers however widely use rapid testing for valid reasons.
When Should a Rapid COVID-19 Test Be Taken?
Although issues have emerged, rapid testing is still a benign response to the pandemic. Co-ordinate to the FDA, antigen tests with "positive results are usually highly accurate," preventing infectious patients from spreading the virus. The New York Times explained Dr. Michael Mina's positive outlook on antigen testing, saying, "Nigh-daily tests would be able to identify infections on the cusp of contagiousness faster than the backlogged PCR pipeline could, helping people self-isolate in the nick of time."
While positive results help patients learn whether they need to isolate immediately, negative results require extra work to determine what steps need to exist taken. If a patient receives a negative result, the FDA, WHO and CDC propose health providers to requite the patient a PCR exam to ostend the outcome and provide a better sense of security.
To receive the most reliable rapid test results, the CDC suggests doctors test patients who have had symptoms for v days or less. However, there's no answer yet regarding asymptomatic patients because not enough data has been collected.
Ultimately, antigen tests are highly accurate if they are administered correctly and show positive results. If there'southward a negative result, the test may be wrong and should be followed up with a PCR exam. Even if people test negative, wellness experts encourage the public to avoid attending dinner parties or traveling considering they can still spread the virus. Tests are simply i part of the solution to irksome the spread of the virus; nosotros also need to keep wearing masks, practicing social distancing and maintaining proper hygiene to keep everyone safe.
Source: https://www.ask.com/culture/conflicting-results-rapid-covid19-test?utm_content=params%3Ao%3D740004%26ad%3DdirN%26qo%3DserpIndex
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