One of the measures put in place to try and curb the spread of COVID-19 is the mass testing of people. In this article, we will briefly compare COVID-19 rapid testing kits with RT-PCR test.
The RT-PCR test is the most common method for diagnosing COVID-19. This test directly detects if a person has viral genes in his or her body. The good thing about RT-PCR is it can detect the presence of COVID-19 at a very early stage after infection.
The other mode of testing is through detecting antibodies in the system specific to COVID-19. Because these antibodies are generated one or two weeks after infection, rapid testing kits efficient in the early detection of COVID-19. Also, within this period, the individual being tested will possibly be exhibiting symptoms, or the virus will have already been cleared by antibodies from the system.
Even though the rapid testing kit can detect the presence of COVID-19 one or two weeks after infection, it cannot tell you if you are immune to the disease or not.
