COVID-19 has dramatically changed the way our healthcare system functions. With some employees taking on extra responsibilities and others specializing in COVID care, testing has been an issue at the forefront of everyone’s minds. At the start of the pandemic, testing was limited, slow, and inaccurate. With so many great minds working on solutions to these issues, COVID-19 testing has come a long way.
Instead of enduring a sinus swab test, most people can get a much gentler nasal swab test.
These tests are far less invasive, and at drive-thru testing locations, patients swab their own noses. And while results used to take a long time to come back, rapid COVID tests are now available across the nation.
Are rapid results too good to be true? This video addresses the concerns people may have with rapid COVID testing. A study from the University of Arizona compared test results from symptomatic and asymptomatic people. The hosts learned that PCR testing is the gold standard for COVID testing. Rapid tests can be far less accurate, but their accuracy is improving over time.
If you need rapid results from a COVID test, it might be a good idea to get a PCR test and a rapid test.
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