One of the consequences of the failure of developing countries like South Africa to authorise self-testing is that it is driving a thriving black market.
Reflecting on the growing demand for at-home rapid COVID-19 tests.
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Kristen Haase, University of British Columbia and Don D. Sin, University of British Columbia
Rapid testing for COVID-19 is an extra safety measure that can help prevent spread of infection, and help you have a more normal holiday, especially if you are visiting vulnerable people.
All COVID-19 tests start with a sample, but the scientific process goes very differently after that.
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The two types of COVID-19 tests – antigen and PCR – work in very different ways, which is why one is fast but less accurate and the other is slow and precise.
Zoë McLaren, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
A new over-the-counter COVID-19 test has been authorized by the FDA. Though it can be used to test people with and without symptoms, moderate cost and limited production mean it isn’t a game-changer.
Rapid tests for COVID-19 are easy to administer and give fast results.
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In September, production of rapid tests really ramped up in the US. But due to low accuracy and massive numbers needed, these tests alone are unlikely to have much of an effect on the pandemic.
For anyone thinking about traveling during the pandemic, COVID-19 testing can be an important, but not all-powerful, tool.
AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
Over the approaching holidays, people around the world will want to travel to see friends and family. Getting tested for the coronavirus can make this safer, but testing alone is not a perfect answer.
Katherine Gibney, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity; Deborah Williamson, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, and Jodie McVernon, The University of Melbourne
A new test, which can diagnose COVID-19 in 15 minutes, has been approved by the TGA. But it’s no silver bullet.
Easy, fast coronavirus testing is critical to controlling the virus.
AP Photo/Elaine Thompson
Zoë McLaren, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
The new BinaxNOW antigen test is quick, easy, accurate and cheap. It could solve the US testing problem, but the emergency use authorization only allows people with COVID-19 symptoms to get tested.
Broad and frequent screening could catch coronavirus cases before they can spread to others.
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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.
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