More COVID-19 rapid testing – less spread of the disease

Omicron is the fastest spreading strain of the COVID-19 coronavirus, and now has its sub-variant – Omicron BA.2, which is even more contagious than its original strain. To make matters worse, this happens during cold and flu season, illnesses that share some similar symptoms with COVID-19. Under these circumstances, there are a growing number of reasons why we may need frequent rapid testing.

Mass and frequent rapid testing, combined with vaccination, is the most effective way for breaking the chain of COVID-19 transmission, confirms both health experts and studies. It refers to rapid antigen tests that work in the interest of time; i.e., the timely reaction.

Treating people early in the course of infection reduces the risk of severe COVID-19, and timely testing can significantly reduce the pressure on health systems.

Before taking a closer look at the different types of tests for diagnosing COVID-19, we find it helpful to recall the basics of COVID-19.

Back to COVID-19 basics

SARS-CoV-2 (an acronym for the full name severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) is the virus responsible for COVID-19 (it is short for coronavirus disease of 2019 – the year when a new coronavirus was identified as the cause of a disease outbreak that originated in China).

Symptoms of COVID-19 may appear 2 to 14 days after exposure to the virus. People who get infected with the coronavirus can spread the disease even if they are in the incubation period (before symptoms onset). Common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, cough, tiredness – a loss of smell and taste can occur suddenly in some people, too. Other symptoms include difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, muscle aches, sore throat, runny nose, headache, chest pain, nausea. And this is not a complete list. Children may have similar symptoms to adults, but usually present with a milder clinical picture.

The manifestation of symptoms can vary significantly from person to person, ranging from no symptoms to signs that seek emergency medical care. People without symptoms can pass on the virus, too.

Complications that COVID-19 may cause include pneumonia, trouble breathing, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), multi-organ failure, blood clots.

There are cases when COVID-19 symptoms appear even after an entire month from the diagnosis of the disease. These health issues are called post-COVID-19 conditions.

If you have symptoms of COVID-19, you should certainly seek a diagnostic test.

When should you get tested for COVID-19?

If you are exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms, get tested, but there are reasons to do the same after close contact with someone with COVID-19 (known or suspected), before and after travel, before visiting an immunocompromised or elderly person.
After potential exposure to COVID-19, wait at least three days before taking the test. If the result is negative, you can do a new test on the seventh day, in case the degree of your exposure was high, and especially if you turn symptomatic.
But if even then the test is negative, do not relax (a negative result can not completely rule out infection – no test is 100% accurate), but continue to take all recommended precautions.

Different types of COVID tests

COVID-19 diagnostic tests detect current infection with the virus SARS-CoV-2 and there are two types: molecular and antigen tests. Tests for antibodies have another purpose: they are looking for prior infection with the virus that causes COVID-19 (your body makes antibodies after getting COVID-19 or getting vaccinated).

Molecular and antigen diagnostic tests

Molecular tests are processed in the laboratory, and are generally considered more accurate, but also take longer.

Antigen or rapid tests can be performed almost anywhere, including at home, and you get results in as little as 15 minutes.

In both cases, the test samples are collected in the same way, so the difference between molecular and antigen tests is mainly in the way the samples are processed.

The most widely used molecular tests (also called nucleic acid amplification tests–NAATs) are PCR (polymerase chain reaction). They look for genetic material from the virus SARS-CoV-2 and require specialized laboratory equipment for processing samples. Because the tests must be sent to a lab, results can take days to complete but are considered more accurate than antigen tests. You can have a molecular test at a doctor, pharmacy, or designated testing locations provided by public health systems.

Antigen tests do not require lab analysis and can provide results within minutes instead of days. Their other advantages are that they are easier to use, more portable, and less expensive than molecular tests. It means they are more suitable for frequent, mass testing, which can timely keep at home more people with COVID-19, to break the chain of infection. In some countries, like the USA, health officials are encouraging people to use at-home COVID-19 tests to help slow the spread.

These tests are searching for certain molecules found on the surface of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the sample you provide. After treating the sample with a reagent, a health care professional analyzes it on the spot. Antigen tests show results within minutes. But are more likely to generate false-negative results (compared to molecular tests, especially in asymptomatic cases), but rarely give a false-positive result. Antigen tests are offered in pharmacies, doctors’ offices, and can be purchased to use at home (at-home COVID-19 tests don’t require a specialist – to get accurate results, it is crucial to carefully follow all the manufacturer’s instructions).

Antibody or serology tests

Antibody or serology tests detect antibodies to the virus SARS-CoV-2 in your blood. Antibodies are proteins that your immune system makes to help you fight off infections and can protect you from getting those infections in the future. Your body develops antibodies 1 to 3 weeks after getting COVID-19 or getting the vaccine. This means that antibody tests are not used to diagnose a current infection, but they look for past infection. In the procedure for conducting such a test, a health care professional takes a blood sample, usually by a finger prick. Laboratory analysis of the sample detects whether you have developed antibodies. If you have antibodies, it can indicate a certain level of protection induced by either COVID-19 vaccination or previous infection. Having antibodies does not guarantee protection against reinfection, but it certainly reduces the risk of developing severe disease.

NEWGENE tests

NEWGENE tests: COVID-19 antigen detection kits – one professional, the other for self-test use (suitable for non-professionals), and COVID-19 Antibody Detection Kit (for the serological test), have excellent specificity, guaranteed by the EU CE certificate.

With NEWGENE antigen detection kits, you can clear up your COVID dilemma within minutes, and get timely treatment if you test positive for COVID-19, or peace of mind when going to work.

In the end, reminding ourselves of the basics is never enough: get vaccinated, wear a mask where needed, keep a social distance, and stay home if you feel sick.