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Articles on COVID-19 testing

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Pathology analyzes bodily fluids and tissues using a variety of methods. Alvaro Lavin/Moment via Getty Images

How do blood tests work? Medical laboratory scientists explain the pathway from blood draw to diagnosis and treatment

Lab testing provides doctors with essential information to help them diagnose and treat disease. Here’s what happens behind the scenes after you roll up your sleeve for a blood draw.
COVID-19 emergency status prompted coordinated vaccination efforts by health care providers, paramedics, volunteers and others. Wesley Lapointe / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Biden’s plan for ending the emergency declaration for COVID-19 signals a pivotal point in the pandemic – 4 questions answered

President Joe Biden’s intention to end the national COVID-19 emergency will have long-lasting ripple effects on federal programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
Cathay Pacific crew members who worked on a flight from Hong Kong arrive at Vancouver International Airport. Canada now requires air travellers from China, Hong Kong and Macau to have a recent negative COVID-19 test result. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Canada’s new COVID test rules: Targeting travellers from China will not stop globally circulating Omicron subvariant

Canada’s new COVID-19 testing requirement for travellers arriving from China is unlikely to prevent the spread of new subvariants.
Technique matters when it comes to getting a sufficient amount of virus for a rapid test. Images By Tang Ming Tung/Digital Vision via Getty Images

COVID-19 rapid tests can breed confusion – here’s how to make sense of the results and what to do, according to 3 testing experts

Rapid tests can be an incredibly useful tool for early detection of COVID-19. Unfortunately, they sometimes leave people with more questions than answers.
A researcher at the Africa Health Research Institute in Durban, South Africa, works on the omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus in December 2021. African countries were penalized by Canada’s travel ban even though they discovered the Omicron variant via complex sequencing work when western nations failed to. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

I was ensnared in Canada’s harsh and unscientific African travel ban

Ottawa’s travel ban against African countries made clear its underlying policy: What matters is not your test result, but where you’ve been. It’s yet another example of anti-Africa discrimation.
Rapid antigen tests are easy to use and detect whether your body is shedding the SARS-CoV-2 virus. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov) 

How to use rapid testing to keep you and your family safe during the 2021 holiday season

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.
Discussing and practising all the steps of a medical procedure with children can help them overcome fear. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

If your child is afraid of — or refusing — a medical procedure, here’s how to help

Children who avoid or refuse medical procedures like COVID-19 tests or vaccinations aren’t misbehaving — they need help to manage their fears. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help your child cope.
To reduce the spread of COVID-19 in unvaccinated children, epidemiologists rely on a layered approach of interventions including masking, ventilation, cohorting and promoting vaccination for all eligible community members. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)

Back-to-school FAQs on children’s health & COVID-19: Delta variant, preventing infection, testing and international examples

With no vaccination yet in children under 12, preventing COVID-19 spread in schools depends on fine-tuning policy interventions according to local epidemiology and vaccination rates.
Sequencing the whole genome of patient virus samples lets scientists watch for new variants. Sergei Malgavko/TASS via Getty Images

Where coronavirus variants emerge, surges follow – new research suggests how genomic surveillance can be an early warning system

By merging genomics with classical epidemiology, researchers are able to predict new disease outbreaks based on which viral variants are on the rise.

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