Covid-19 pandemic has forced us to relook our present healthcare system. The spread of this virus caused a lot of destruction in many parts of the world. This dangerous virus has already killed more than 606,000 people worldwide, and the numbers are increasing day by day.

There is no vaccine for the medication of this disease, and it is spreading at a steady rate. This disease has challenged the healthcare system, and to be honest, most of the countries failed in it. We have to appreciate the dedication and hard work of our doctors and other officials involved in controlling the spread of this disease. But still, people are dying. Below we are sharing the details about two standard tests of Covid-19 and their accuracy.

What Is A Diagnostic Test?

A diagnostic test is operated to detect the infection in your body in the present situation. This test is a general test done to check the presence of the virus in the body. The Diagnostic test is entirely different from the antibody test. A diagnostic test is done when you think you have symptoms of Covid-19 or you came in contact with a virus carrier. There are two different tests for diagnosing Covid-19 approved by the FDA.

Molecular Test And Its Accuracy

This test is also known as PCR test based on the name of the lab technique (Polymerase Chain Reaction). In this test, a health worker collects the sample fluid from your throat or nasal swab or the saliva. If the samples are tested on-site, then results will be available in a few minutes, but if samples are sent to an outside lab, it may take a day or two to get results. In market home testing kits are also available for self-testing of the Covid-19. It is recommended to use the FDA approved kits with the permission of the doctor. You have to mail the samples collected by you, and you will get the results.

The molecular test is considered to be highly accurate if done correctly by an expert. However, rapid checkup sometimes fails in detecting the virus.

Antigen Test And Its Accuracy

Antigen test is a newer technique to detect the presence of the virus in the body. In this test, samples are also collected by the same process of the throat or nasal swab. The operation of this test detects some kind of protein that is part of the virus. This technique is much quicker and inexpensive than the previous method and provides the required results within some time.

The positive results shown by this technique are considered highly accurate, but at the same time, this test is not as precise for the negative results. This means that there are chances of a person having Covid-19, but results show negative. Hence if the result is positive, then the patient needs immediate treatment. If negative then the doctor may suggest the molecular test depending on the situation.

What Is An Antibody Test?

The antibody test is done to check whether your body has developed the antibodies for the virus or not. This antibody test for Covid-19 is done after the successful recovery from the diseases. In this test, blood samples are collected from a finger prick or the veins of your arm. This blood is then tested for the antibodies.

Researchers are still not able to find how long antibodies last and will they be able to protect you from the virus in future or not. The WHO says that the time and type of antibody test also affects the accuracy of the results. If the body of any person developed the antibodies, then it will be helpful to cure other people. Hence it is necessary to create more accurate antibody tests.