Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, health experts are desperate to look for a cure. Unfortunately, no cure has yet been invented. Symptoms of COVID-19 are treated by using the only available medication at the moment.
One alternative solution that works now is diagnostic testing. The purpose of testing is to identify the people who are infected with the disease to minimize further interactions. For this reason, testing could help contain the virus. It seems to be the only workable means today to stop the spread of COVID-19.
But why is global testing not yet implemented? Countries affected by this pandemic are still struggling to do rapid and widespread testing. To understand it better, let’s take a look at Coronavirus testing kits and how they affect the testing process.
How Does It Work?
There are two types of tests for Covid-19. One of these is nucleic-acid based tests which have been widely used. They detect the coronavirus genetic code and rely on reverse transcription-polymerase chain or RT-PCR technique. These tests can tell if you currently have an infection. However, it would take 24-48 hours for the results to be available.
On the other hand, serologic or rapid tests detect proteins associated with the virus known as immunoassays. They only detect the presence of antibodies and, therefore, should be used only if you already have the symptoms. The results will come out after 15 minutes but cannot be the sole basis to diagnose COVID-19. It needs to be confirmed by RT-PCR testing.
Where Can You Acquire the Kit?
Each type of test undergoes different procedures and requires separate testing kits. For the RT-PCR test, kits include some chemicals that are utilized to check if a patient’s sample contains the COVID19 virus. These PCR-based kits require nose and throat samples from a patient, whereas serologic or rapid test kits used blood samples.
Currently, these coronavirus testing kits are not yet made available for mass testing. The supply of testing kits is still limited to everybody’s usage. However, there are cost-effective testing kits like the COVID-19 IgM IgG kits, which you can acquire online. Keep in mind that these kits should be utilized by trained professionals only.
Are the Test Results Reliable?
Despite the widespread use of coronavirus testing kits, there are still doubts when it comes to accuracy. Doctors reported that they encounter a troubling number of false negatives, which could be up to 30 per cent. Based on the statistics in China, 30 out of every 100 patients might test false negative.
It is also important to note that rapid test kits are vulnerable to false negatives because of its inability to detect antibodies at an early stage of infection. As a result, a patient with a false negative result will continue to interact and spread the virus in the community. These rapid tests are only applicable for immediate testing, but still subject to confirmatory tests.
Aside from relying on the test results, the key here is to be mindful of the COVID-19 symptoms. If you have fewer symptoms and tested negative, you can be assured that you are not infected with the virus. But if you have the typical symptoms of COVID-19, you can assume that you have the disease even if your result turned out negative.
These testing kits are considered generally accurate. However, like all other lab tests, they are not 100 per cent perfect. A patient’s symptoms and medical history should be considered along with the test results.
Other Pressing Concerns
The lab testing for COVID-10 is indeed time-consuming, which causes a delay in diagnosis. There is more shortage of testing kits supply because of the increasing number of infections. Moreover, asymptomatic carriers of the virus might remain undiagnosed, and they might continue to infect other people. An accurate diagnosis could have made a big difference.
COVID-19 doesn’t only affect the physical health of the people. The deaths caused by this pandemic have injected fear and worry to most people. Thus, mental health is another concern.
Furthermore, it seems that global testing remains inaccessible until now. But healthcare workers would still have to make the best of what is available today. After all, testing is still not a cure for COVID-19, and that is the most pressing concern. Nobody knows how much testing could do and until when it could contain the virus.
Takeaway
COVID-19 has already caused too much anxiety to people all over the world. But through the aid of testing and testing kits, the fear of being infected is lessened. People felt a little safer knowing that suspected people with the virus have been isolated and treated by the healthcare workers. Testing might not entirely stop this pandemic, but it has been a great help to fight and reduce the impact of coronavirus.
