A Range of Covid-19 Testing Methods

Humans when contracted a pathogen might experience various detrimental implications that affect their overall health and quality of life. Most of such viral infections are treated through existing or newly developed solutions. If an outbreak requires newer curing methods, then testing is imperative. Just like the recent covid-19 pandemic, examining individuals for the presence of pathogens poses numerous advantages like identifying its effect on a human body and employing countermeasures to prevent more contamination. In that sense, a range of testing methods are available for this virus and some of them are listed below.

PCR method 

At present, majority of these screenings are conducted by PCR methods. It enables examining large group of individuals, so officials can understand the spread within a population. This identifies the genetic structure of a virus by detecting its RNA. This is only possible if someone is actively infected. Rather than looking for a body’s immune response or antibodies, this kit detects antigens. So, an affected individual can be isolated and a more widespread contamination can be prevented. One true advantage of this type is that officials can break the transmission chain by isolation through a mass screening. 

Serologic type 

With other approaches, physicians can only decide on infection proportion on a population, but they cannot determine if a particular individual is affected or not. This makes administrating isolation restrictions more difficult. Recent studies also indicates that there is no clearer understanding about the immunity period of this pathogen. So, examining antigens from respiratory tracts can lead to inaccurate results. Unlike PCR that uses swaps, serologic types take blood samples that provides more definite results on antibodies. Through this, they can determine the proportion of outbreak, along with a variety of immunity responses even after weeks. 

Lateral flow assay 

More manufacturers are developed rapid kits that produce results within minutes. It is considered as a cost-effective and a convenient alternative for clinical screenings. These kits are designed to identify a certain biological markers form a range of samples like blood, urine, sweat, and serum. Just like a pregnancy test, individuals should bind biological materials to a material strip and wait for either positive or negative result. It is used for in-home covid-19 testing, so healthcare facilities are equipped to verify if patients can be released from quarantine or not. Companies are planning to make this accessible as a over-the-counter product for wider applications. 

Rapid antigen testing 

Just like rapid kits, antigen detection materials aims to produce results within hours. It comes with an analyzer device, along with matching cartridges. When samples are introduced, these can detect viruses that affect respiratory tracts.  These screenings are fully automated and can be directly deployed by medical institutions. Such automated s can eliminate the laborious laboratory screenings and its inaccuracies. If made accessible worldwide, this can easily detect antigens in relatively a short period of time that makes deployed counter measures effective. Another advantage is that, it can be made available to patients with severe symptoms than others. For more information about covid testing connect with us.