Zoë McLaren, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Making rapid antigen tests for COVID-19 cheaper and more accessible can catch the infectious cases before they spread and help everyone resume normal activities safely.
Sheena G. Sullivan, WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza and Jennifer MacLachlan, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
A man in the Northern Territory recently received a “weak positive” test result for COVID-19. Understanding how coronavirus tests work shows us why this can happen from time to time.
Friaaz Azeez gets tested for COVID-19 by a health-care worker at a pop-up testing centre at the Islamic Institute of Toronto in Scarborough, Ont., on May 29, 2020.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
Zoë McLaren, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Testing large numbers of people regularly would reduce the spread of the coronavirus in the US. Laboratory testing is slow and expensive, but rapid screening tests could be the answer.
Antibodies are incredibly good at finding the coronavirus. Antigen tests put them to work.
Sergii Iaremenko/Science Photo Library via Getty Images
Expanding coronavirus testing is one of the most important tasks public health officials are tackling right now. But questions over accuracy of the two main types of tests have rightly caused concern.