![]() The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) describes the test as having " very high sensitivity". Results therefore take an hour-considerably quicker than waiting for the results from a PCR test processed in a lab, but much longer than a RAT where you get your results in about 15 minutes. The result must be read within 30 minutes of completing the test. ![]() After switching the cassette off, you add a second lot of buffer solution, close the cap, and wait another 5 minutes before reading the result. Then you add a buffer solution to the cassette, put the cap on, switch the cassette on to process the sample and wait 55 minutes. You take a nasal swab, insert it into a solution in a tube, then add one drop to a special battery operated cassette. Unlike RATs, this test needs to be stored in the fridge before use. The test uses a battery powered cassette. It does this many, many times so there's enough viral RNA for the test to detect. It uses a process called isothermal cross priming amplification to copy tiny amounts of viral RNA extracted from your nasal swab. What's new (to the general public) is the technology behind the test and its use to detect COVID at home. RATs work by testing for viral antigens (parts of viral proteins that generate an antibody response).īut the test does use a collection technique you will be familiar with-a nasal swab. So, strictly speaking, this new test is not a PCR test. That makes it similar in some way to lab-based PCR tests, which also detect the genetic material of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID.īut lab-based PCR tests amplify the genetic material in a different way to this home-based test. The new test is the EasyNAT COVID-19 RNA Test, which has received to be supplied in Australia. The distributor is marketing the new product as a " portable PCR self-test kit" and a " game-changer" in COVID detection.īut does this new kit deliver what it promises? And is it worth the price? Here's what we know from the limited data publicly available. It also promises a faster and more convenient option than PCR ( polymerase chain reaction) tests performed in a lab. It promises an alternative to rapid antigen tests (RATs), which we're familiar with. The chance of getting a false positive is low with at-home tests, so following the antigen test directions and CDC guidelines to the letter prevents the possibility of spreading the virus to others.Ĭlick here to read the complete article from Health. That uncertainty is why the CDC recommends five more days of isolation. “Does that mean they're still infectious? We don't know," Vail told. On day six, about 50 percent will still test positive. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there’s still the possibility that someone could test positive. ![]() Still, whether the line or lines are bright or faint, two lines still mean positive, one line still means negative, and the safety precautions remain the same: "Five days of and then five days of masking if you have no symptoms,” before going back to your normal routine, Vail said.Īfter following those guidelines from the U.S. A brighter line indicates the patient has more virus in their body and is likely to be sicker and more infectious. ![]() A faint line also can mean the tester didn’t swab well enough to provide a good test sample. If the line is fainter, the patient is likely to be less sick, less infectious, or might be nearing the end of infection, Vail said. The opaqueness of the lines also can indicate more, Vail said. If the window on the testing stick shows two lines, the tester is positive for COVID-19. recently interviewed Eric Vail, MD, director of Molecular Pathology, about the at-home antigen test for the virus that causes COVID-19 and how it determines whether the virus is inside the body and, if so, how much virus is there.Īt-home antigen tests work by detecting whether the virus is found in testers’ nasal secretions, Vail told.
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