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In the past, diagnoses were limited to what could be observed by an attending physician with their own senses. As one might expect, this resulted in wildly varying levels of patient care and unconventional tests and treatments, many of which unfortunately involved livestock. Fortunately, the modern era has seen vast advancements in the area of molecular biology, and by extension, medical diagnosis. Today we have definitive tests for many conditions and diseases ranging from infertility to cancer. Recently, the world has seen a dire need for a rapid means of determining if a subject is positive
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Expert Blog: Know The Facts About COVID-19 Testing Myth: Rapid antibody tests on blood are a good alternative to diagnose COVID- 19 Fact: The rapid tests on blood that are widely available and often misused are antibody tests. These cannot be used for diagnosis of an active COVID-19 infection. These rapid blood tests look for antibodies the body may have developed while fighting COVID-19. A positive test most likely means that the individual has already had the infection in past and has recovered from the virus. The test remains positive for a very long time even after full recovery. Similarly, if someone is sick and COVID-19 is suspected, the antibody test may still be negative. The tests that may diagnose the infection more accurately are tests done on the throat swab. Myth: If I test negative, I do not have the infection Fact: Mostly, the COVID-19 tests do not provide results with 100 per cent accuracy. In fact, if 100 COVID-19 patients are tested using the ‘viral’ tests, about 30 of them may test falsely negative. So if you have been exposed to the virus or have symptoms and have still tested negative, you must still take all precautions so as to not spread the infection to the others. Myth: Testing on the first day after a suspected exposure to COVID is important Fact: After an exposure, it most commonly takes an average of 4-7 days for the test to become positive. Testing on the first day can often miss the infection and the test should be carried out around day 5 post-exposure. Myth: If I test positive for IgG (Immunoglobulin G) antibodies, I am now immune to COVID-19 Fact: A positive Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody test only means you have already had COVID-19 infection and have recovered from it even if the infection was asymptomatic. There is not enough scientific research to know if these antibodies offer long term immunity to protect you from getting COVID again. In fact, there have already been a few cases of reinfection reported. So, even if you test positive for these antibodies, continue following all the precautions as if you could get the infection again. Myth: Kids do not transmit the virus and therefore do not need to get tested.
Fact: While kids are less likely to show symptoms of COVID-19 even after getting the infection, a study has shown that they shed 10-1000 times more viral RNA (Ribonucleic acid) than adults. Also, it is very difficult to have kids follow masking, hand hygiene, cough etiquettes, and physical distancing. Therefore, kids may be more effective spreaders than adults. It is thus important to diagnose the infection in them so that all necessary precautions including isolation from other kids can be implemented. Myth: COVID-19 antigen test is better than PCR (Polymerise Chain Reaction) testing. Fact: Both of these are viral tests done on the throat swab. The COVID antigen test can be used in areas where resources for Polymerise Chain Reaction are unavailable or when it is very urgent. The pros of these tests are the rapidity, lower cost and its specificity. Therefore, if it tests somebody positive with COVID-19, no PCR confirmation IS needed. The cons are that it gives many false-negative results. So those who test negative should ideally be then tested with the RT-PCR (Real Time Polymerise Chain Reaction).
