What to Do if Someone in Your Family Tests Positive for Covid
Would y'all have a COVID-19 test that provides results in 15 minutes or less? All information technology takes is a nasal swab and a sample card coated with a detail antigen-detecting chemical. It sounds like information technology could change testing as we know it — and it has.
Rapid testing is gaining widespread utilize in schools, workplaces, airlines and even Hollywood. Despite its mass entreatment, some public figures have received inconsistent results, leading many to ask, "How reliable are these tests?" Before you request one, learn how rapid testing works and how it should be used, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Nutrient and Drug Administration (FDA).
What Is Rapid Testing?
During the pandemic, healthcare companies — Quidel, Abbott and Becton Dickinson and Visitor — have adult antigen tests, also known every bit rapid diagnostic tests. These tests require a mucus sample from a nose swab to look for antigens — the proteins on the surface of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Right now, rapid tests help place people who accept high levels of the virus in their systems.
Because the test is easy to produce, distribute and use, it has become a game-irresolute response to the pandemic, assuasive as many people as possible to go tested at a doctor's part or community clinic. Later the FDA approved the test for emergency use, the U.South. Department of Wellness and Human being Services purchased more than 150 one thousand thousand tests for nursing homes and schools. United Airlines also rolled out rapid COVID-19 tests for its passengers, setting the stage for other airlines to follow.
Although the rapid version is a remarkable step for increasing comprehensive testing, a new set of bug has arisen as its utilise has get more than widespread.
Recently, high-contour public figures take 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. Two tests came back negative; two came back positive. Same machine, same test, same nurse."
Another celebrity who experienced the same issue is singer-songwriter Erykah Badu, who tested positive in one nostril and negative in the other. "No symptoms. Was tested for COVID. Aforementioned machine. Left nostril positive. Correct nostril negative," Badu tweeted. Why is this happening?
To sympathize the complications of faster tests, it'southward helpful to know how polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests — the only type of examination available at the get-go of the pandemic — work. The PCR version requires the use of chemic reagents, costly lab machines and management past trained professionals. Information technology uses samples of mucus from the nose or throat to detect pocket-size and large traces of genetic cloth that but 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; information technology only detects a higher viral load. This means antigen tests might misidentify an infected person who only has a minor number of the viral proteins present. On top of that problem, the FDA warned clinical laboratories and healthcare providers that antigen tests tin can give false negative results. The test'south errors worry many health experts because failure to detect the virus in people can result in outbreaks.
Despite its limited accuracy for negative tests, healthcare providers nevertheless widely employ rapid testing for valid reasons.
When Should a Rapid COVID-19 Test Be Taken?
Although problems have emerged, rapid testing is yet a benign response to the pandemic. According to the FDA, antigen tests with "positive results are normally highly accurate," preventing infectious patients from spreading the virus. The New York Times explained Dr. Michael Mina'south positive outlook on antigen testing, saying, "Near-daily tests would exist 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 assist patients learn whether they demand to isolate immediately, negative results require extra work to decide what steps demand to be taken. If a patient receives a negative result, the FDA, WHO and CDC advise health providers to give the patient a PCR test to confirm the outcome and provide a better sense of security.
To receive the about reliable rapid examination results, the CDC suggests doctors test patients who have had symptoms for five days or less. However, there's no answer yet regarding asymptomatic patients because not enough information has been nerveless.
Ultimately, antigen tests are highly accurate if they are administered correctly and bear witness positive results. If there's a negative effect, the exam may exist wrong and should be followed upwardly with a PCR test. Fifty-fifty if people exam negative, health experts encourage the public to avoid attending dinner parties or traveling because they can even so spread the virus. Tests are only one part of the solution to slow the spread of the virus; we also need to keep wearing masks, practicing social distancing and maintaining proper hygiene to go along 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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