There are many people around the world that are saying that the standard PCR test is way too slow when it comes to getting results for new coronavirus cases. There have been many cases where patients have died of complications due to COVID-19 before they even get the results of their tests.
There is however a quicker test available, which is known as a “rapid antibody testing kit” and a lot of people are making use of these tests in order to find possible cases quickly. It should be understood that a rapid test kit cannot show if the person has COVID-19, only a PCR test can show these results.
In order to conduct a rapid test, a blood sample is needed, and even then, the test cannot show if the person is positive or not, it can only show if there are antibodies present for a particular virus. When a test shows that there are antibodies present, it means that it is a sign that the person might be infected, or that they were infected before, and have since recovered. The main reason why this test has become so popular to use is the fact that you can get a result in 15 – 45 minutes.
When PCR tests are done, a sample is taken from the patient’s throat or nose, instead of using a blood sample. It can take anywhere from 24 hours to 3 days before a result can be produced. There are talks about administering these tests on people before they go back to work because of the fact that they are much cheaper than the PCR tests, they are easier to use, and results can be obtained much quicker.
There Are Testing Limitations
Most of the world’s medical experts do not recommend using these rapid test kits due to the fact that they often result in false positives. While these types of tests are not reliable enough for diagnostic purposes, they can help in screening people and showing who could be more vulnerable to this deadly disease.
It has been suggested by the Project Antibody Rapid Test Kit that governments make use of both this test and the PCR-based test, as it will help with the restarting of economies and that it could provide more insight into further outbreaks.
We all need to accept that normal will not be as we remember it for a while to come, and we must do what we can to protect ourselves.