Using Covid-19 Antigen Rapid tests kits have become a new normal for many of us to confirm or rule out COVID-19 infection in people with or without COVID-19 symptoms. The kits come in disposable plastic cassettes, similar to pregnancy tests, allows non healthcare professionals access to testing.
Many more people, with and without symptoms, potentially in locations other than hospitals or clinics, can have faster diagnosis and allow people to take appropriate action more quickly to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Benefits of using rapid test kits to detect the Covid-19 Antigen
- They can be used wherever the patient is (at the point of care);
- Easy to perform, with a minimum amount of extra equipment and less complicated preparation steps.
- Less expensive than standard laboratory tests.
- Do not require a specialist operator or setting
Disadvantages of using rapid test kits to detect the Covid-19 Antigen.
- False negative rate is higher : This test may yield false negative results 10% of the time, and it has a sensitivity level of 90% compared to RT-PCR tests
- Level of accuracy may vary due to wrong or improper sample collection
- Many unauthorised or poor quality kits available in the market - buy from trusted sources only