This test is cheaper and much quicker than a PCR test, returning results in 15–30 minutes. However, antigen tests are generally less sensitive than PCR tests.

At-home rapid tests for COVID-19 are more convenient. But experts say there are still times when a PCR test is useful.

There’s a big difference between the standard at-home antigen test and a molecular (PCR or NAAT) test. Molecular tests are the ones you want when accurate testing is important. Here are four ...

There are three different ways to test for COVID-19: PCR tests, antigen tests and antibody tests. Each method is best for a different stage of COVID-19 infection.

A PCR, also known as a NAAT or molecular test, measures RNA and can detect even small amounts of the virus. This is why it has always been considered the “gold standard” of COVID testing.

PCR tests measure SARS-CoV-2 in a different way than antigen tests. They are highly precise, allowing them not only to detect infection before symptoms start, when rapid antigen tests are often ...

But lab-based PCR tests amplify the genetic material in a different way to this home-based test. So, strictly speaking, this new test is not a PCR test. The new test isn’t a RAT either.

If you've tested negative for COVID-19 on a RAT test and a PCR test, Dr Williams says it's likely you don't have COVID. But there are other illnesses, such as RSV and the flu, that have similar ...

For an antigen test, the median was $42 compared to $62 for PCR. For at-home rapid tests as of April 20 the average was about $11 per test. Most of those tests cost between $12 to $24 per pack ...

The tests require a lot of virus to be present to turn positive, much more than PCR tests do. When people test early — right after an exposure, or with the first tickle in the throat — viral ...