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Governments around the globe have already lifted safety procedures to control the COVID-19 spread. One must wear a face mask and observe social distancing as preventive measures. If you’re planning for a flight at this moment, there are also protocols to follow. Well, you should undergo the fit-to-fly COVID test.
There are various methods to identify if a person is a carrier of the SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19. Among the 400 approved methods is the rapid antigen test for travel. This category of coronavirus testing comes with pros and cons that people need to know. You need to present a negative result if you want your entry to get accepted in some countries.
Learn more about antigen testing by reading this article.
Advantages
Antigen testing only takes 15 to 30 minutes to know if a person is a COVID-19 positive. Such is way faster than what molecular testing can do. It is also less expensive than RT-PCR testing that requires specialized laboratory techniques. Antigen test is effective in detecting COVID among high-congregate environments and high-risk groups.
Available antigen test kits have 80 percent sensitivity and 97 percent specificity. Those factors granted them emergency use authorization (EUA) from the World Health Organization (WHO).
Disadvantages
Contrary to its advantages, antigen testing requires people to travel and go to testing areas, like hospitals, clinics, or pharmacies. Such increases their chances of getting infected along the way.
As reported by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), there are potential false positives issues. In a Cochrane systematic review of 22 antigen tests, the study found an average of 56.2 percent sensitivity. When samples do not have sufficient viral protein, the result will most likely fall to false negative as it cannot yield a positive test.
Antigen test is less sensitive and less accurate than molecular tests, proving their ineffectiveness in providing accurate interpretations. Thus, you must undergo a confirmatory RT-PCR test if your antigen testing tested negative.
Contact Harley Medic International by calling 0330 390 3666 for more information about antigen testing, or via our contact page or email,info@harleymedic.co.uk, for inquiries.
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