The COVID-19 pandemic has grabbed the world and terrorised everyone. The vaccine has not yet been found and it’s extremely difficult to find who among the crowds is infected. Therefore testing is very important. Let’s know about corona testing.
There are two types of tests for COVID-19, viz. diagnostic tests and antibody blood tests. Most of these tests are done at mobile testing tents because of the extraordinary difficulties faced by healthcare providers and hospitals.
Diagnostic Tests
Diagnostic tests are based on checking samples from people’s respiratory system e.g. swabs of the inner wall of nose. This test decides if you are infected with SARS-CoV-2, the causative virus of COVID-19.
Antibody Tests
Antibody tests are also known as serologic tests and are based on checking if there are antibodies in your blood. This will show if you had any previous infection. Antibodies are proteins that are formed in the body to fight disease-causing germs. This test may not be able to detect if you have an infection currently, since it can take one to three weeks for antibody formation after symptoms appear.
Regardless of the test done, if you’re found to be positive or negative for COVID-19, you still must take preventive measures for the protection of yourself and others.
How to Decide if a Diagnostic Test Should be Done?
Everyone doesn’t need to be tested for corona virus infection. You should remember the following points:
- People who have mild illness and can recover at home with no medical care needed may not have to be tested.
- At present no treatment is particularly approved for people infected with coronavirus.
When to Do after Diagnostic Tests?
Keep checking with the group that conducted your test, e.g. your healthcare provider or health department.
- If the test is positive, learn about the protective steps to take.
- If the test is negative, it means you were not infected at the time when your sample was taken. However, it doesn’t mean that you will never be infected. So, in that case too, you should take the due precautions.
When to Do a Serologic Testing?
Serologic tests or antibody blood tests may not find antibodies in a person with a current corona infection. These tests should not be used as the only way to diagnose a current COVID-19 infection.
What to Do after Serologic Tests?
- If you’re found positive, it means you have antibodies resulted from a SARS-CoV-2 infection or probably a related coronavirus.
- If you’re found negative, you may not have previous infection, but you could have a current infection if you have come in contact with the virus lately.
Get the tests done for coronavirus infection and take due precautions. Also, stay at home and stay safe!