Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and rapid (antigen) tests for COVID-19 both involve taking a swab. Results for a PCR test take longer, as it needs to go to a laboratory. It is more costly but tends to ...

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test detects genetic material from a pathogen or abnormal cell sample. Ways of collecting samples include a nasal swab, a saliva swab, or taking a sample of blood.

COVID-19 tests are in greater demand than ever, and new data about the Omicron variant can make picking and using different types of tests confusing. Molecular tests for COVID-19, like the "RT-PCR" ...

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test kits for COVID-19 use what’s known as gene cloning – not reproductive cloning – to detect the presence or absence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, but social media posts ...

At first blush, you might reasonably dismiss the rapid, saliva-based antigen assay for coronavirus. What possible purpose can a test serve in a pandemic if it misses, say, 30 of every 100 infections ...

Each week, we answer frequently asked questions about life during the coronavirus crisis. If you have a question you'd like us to consider for a future post, email us at [email protected] with the ...

Antigen tests are one type of rapid test that may help diagnose COVID-19. Some rapid tests can provide results in 15 minutes. But, they may not be as accurate as other types of tests, such as a PCR ...

Last week, I was about to go on a date, and because I'm severely immunocompromised, we agreed he would take a COVID test using one of my rapid home molecular tests. It was a courtesy—he felt perfectly ...

Michael Mina is a professor of epidemiology at Harvard, where he studies the diagnostic testing of infectious diseases. He has watched, with disgust and disbelief, as the United States has struggled ...

Last spring, a rapid polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for COVID-19 — developed by Northwestern University spinoff company Minute Molecular Diagnostics — received emergency use authorization (EUA) ...

Testing for the coronavirus has been very much in the news. The first and most urgent focus is on increasing access to tests to diagnose people with current infections. But now other tests are ...

A PCR test is often considered the gold standard for detecting coronavirus infection. It’s the test some employers want employees to take before returning to work after having Covid-19, and the one ...