Global WholeHealth Partners, Corp Describes the Pros and Cons of the Common Types of COVID-19 Test Kits Available - Seite 2

Pros

Minimally invasive – performed using nasal swabs and throat swabs.

Allows for social distancing – while some molecular tests, including RT-PCR, are sometimes conducted at a hospital or clinic, swabs can also be taken from the patient’s car or at home and evaluated at a urgent care, clinic, doctor’s office or hospital.

Fewer false negatives in some instances – deep nasal swabs will have fewer false negatives compared with other tests, such as throat swabs or saliva tests

Cons

Long turnaround times – in some instances, RT-PCR tests can yield results in the same day or within one to two days, but test results taking up to one to two weeks have been reported during the pandemic

False negatives – molecular tests have been shown to produce results that say the patient doesn’t have the virus when they actually do; the rates of false-positives have ranged from 2% to 37%. If too many cycles are run, there is a high false positive rate as well.

Uncomfortable for some people – deep nasal swabs can be uncomfortable for some people, especially small children

Antigen Tests

Antigen tests, which are performed using a nasal or throat swab, help detect specific protein fragments residing on the surface of the virus.

Pros

Rapid results: The test uses technology similar to that used in an Influenza test and yields results within minutes. Tests are point of care and can be performed at urgent cares.

“This test could be used at point-of-care settings, like a doctor’s office, emergency room, or some schools. This test has been authorized for use in patients suspected of COVID-19 by their healthcare provider within seven days of symptom onset. Given the simple nature of this test, it is likely that these tests could be made broadly available. Global can increase production to 120,000 tests per day, once approved.”

https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/covid-19-update-fd ...

Cons

High false-negative rate: Antigen tests produce higher false-negative rates than molecular RT-PCR tests, with some evidence suggesting rates as high as 50%.

Antibody Tests

Antibody tests look for specific antibodies generated by the immune system in response to a virus, including SARS-CoV-2. Antibodies are proteins that the body produces to combat active invading viruses and active infections. This test is also known as a serological test, blood test and serology test and involves taking a sample with a fingertip blood.