The Difference Between Antigen and PCR Tests Explained

[Music] to understand the difference between pcr and antigen tests we have to first understand the life cycle of the virus this is a virus kinetics graph for covid19 the line represents the virus concentration in an infected individual the life cycle has three periods the first is a virus incubation period usually the first four days after contracting the virus when viral loads are too low for detection the transmissible period when the virus is live and the load is high begins around day 5 and generally lasts until day 11. the third period is a post recovery period when the virus is no longer transmissible infected does not necessarily mean infectious in fact an infected individual is usually only infectious for five to seven days pcr tests are high sensitivity they detect the rna of the virus which exists long after a person passes a transmissible period so you can still test positive even though you're not infectious [Music] antigen tests detect the infectious particles which are present in large amounts when the person is contagious making it perfect for screening while pcr tests usually take two days or more antigen tests show results within 30 minutes with daily or frequent antigen testing infected individuals learn their covet status immediately and can be removed from circulation before they infect more people this stops the spread and suppresses the infection rate without lockdowns in novus coven 19 rapid antigen test know your covet status before you go

Channel: Innova Medical Group, Inc

Views: 1,082

Rating: 5 out of 5

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Id: dk5hLul471Y

Length: 1min 48sec (108 seconds)

Published: Fri Feb 19 2021