Cities and states across the United States are looking to expand coronavirus testing as part of efforts to emerge from lockdowns.
Although it is accurate, PCR testing is both resource and time intensive.
Antigen testing exists for the flu, in which doctors can administer"rapid influenza diagnostic tests" that deliver results in 15 to 30 minutes. It is hoped that any breakthroughs in antigen testing for the coronavirus would have similar outcomes. But antigen testing is not as sensitive as PCR testing, which means there is a greater chance that antigen tests could deliver false negative results. In other words, a patient could be infected but an antigen test is just not sensitive enough to detect it.
"PCR tests have the advantage that you can test for many pathogens, not just one virus," Piedra said."Antigen tests have to be built for specific viruses."
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