Which COVID-19 test should you take?
December 18, 2020
47ABC – As we move through the holiday season many people may want to get a rapid test before they decide to travel, but before you take one of those rapid tests medical professionals want you to know a few things about them and that starts with knowing the difference between a molecular test and an antigen test.
The antigen test is what some consider the ‘rapid’ test because results can be delivered in as little as 15 minutes. However health professionals say a better way to refer to the two main types of diagnostic tests are to refer to them as ‘molecular’ testing which is polymerise chain reaction testing or PCR for short and Antigen testing. That’s because in some cases you can get results from a molecular test the same day, so using the term ‘rapid’ can be subjective.