Do you think we are close to innovating a simple, at-homeCOVID-19 testsystem? This is necessary as not everyone can go to a clinic every time. The cost is also expensive right now.
This article will concentrate on the availability of fast, accurate, and widespread test for Coronavirus, a critical component of the global response to COVID-19.
Current Scenario
Positive cases continue to escalate across the world. Right here at home, it is also important to note that virus research is also growing and improving every day. It is enabling the virus to be better recognized and controlled.
Basically, three types of tests exist right now. Those are – PCR, Antigen, and Antibody testing.
RT-PCR Testing
The majority of current research and what you can usually see are PCR testing. It amplifies the sections of the virus to ensure that the virus is present. The sample is taken via a clear nose or throat swab for PCR testing. The result can be given in several hours or even days!
Antigen Testing
The quick antigen test performed by a blood draw is the second method of the COVID-19 test. It is essentially considered the easiest way to see whether you have the virus or have ever had it.
However, currently, antigen testing is not seen as 100 percent effective. For reliability, some of the experiments were questioned. They are considered inconclusive, and individuals will have to go get the PCR test anyway!
Antibody Testing
Another category of testing is the antibody test. It’s like saying yes, you don’t have the virus now, but you were exposed to it at some stage in a time previous to this. And it’s not very useful for diagnosis.
However, this procedure will provide a road map for finding out when and how you come in touch with the virus and hopefully be a place to help those with severe cases recover from someone’s antibody filled plasma.
The Future of Testing
The current COVID-19 testing system is too complicated for the general public. Since it is a widespread disease, practitioners need some more manageable way to measure the virus’s presence. Let’s discuss what we think the future of the COVID-19 test.
Testing Infectiousness
Antigen or molecular testing cannot determine if an organism has an infectious virus. These are unable to indicate if the virus can enter and replicate cells, triggering an infection.
This can be measured, but in the U.S., very few laboratories perform these experiments. They need highly specialized laboratories because these experiments entail developing the virus, and these tests are not open to the general public.
Innovative Testing
Nasal and throat swabs are painful, particularly troublesome for people who often have to be checked. That’s why researchers are looking for less invasive procedures such as breath-based testing and seek to improve saliva tests.
Pooled Testing
A group of specimens is batched and checked together instead of checking separately to test if that group is contaminated. It is done with super-sensitive PCR tests. If the pooled tests show positive results, then everyone is tested in person.
This strategy, which has already been applied in low-resource conditions, is attracting more popularity to give restricted research supplies more mileage, so it can rule out the need to personally test multiple individuals. It functions well in areas with low virus prevalence.
