The great health emergency that we are going through with the arrival of the SARS-CoV2 virus has destabilized many areas. The hard fight to combat it has not been easy, but now there are more accessible methods of prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the disease.
Covid tests are carried out in order to know if you are infected with the virus. You can choose the PCR or the rapid ones ( Covid-19 BOSON, Covid-19 NEWGENE, Covid-19 WESAIL, Covid-19 GOLDSIDE, Covid-19 FLOW FLEX ). Each one differs in terms of precision, time and method of implementation.
How are Covid-19 tests done?
To carry out the PCR and the rapid Covid-19 antigen test, the medical professional takes samples of the nasal, oral or saliva mucosa, which will be processed to detect whether or not the disease is present.
In the nasal swab, the health professional has to insert a thin stick with a cotton tip inside the patient’s nose or throat with it, the purpose is to obtain the necessary mucus to know if the virus is present or not.
The swab can be done in both nostrils and is held for a few minutes before carefully removed. Experts recommend digging a little deeper to get better samples.
These minutes while taking the test can be a little uncomfortable but not difficult to bear. Once this mucus is obtained, it is stored in the respective professional tubes to then proceed to examine them.
On the other hand, rapid oral fluid antigen tests are also commonly done and are equally simple. What you have to do is spit into a tube which will be sealed and taken to the lab for analysis. These Covid-19 saliva tests are also highly effective.
How are the results of the Covid-19 tests?
The time in which the results are delivered has a lot to do with the health center where you went and the type of test they used ( SARS-CoV2 rapid antigen test or PCR). It can take hours or days if the samples had to be sent to another laboratory.
These tests yield two results:
- Positive: this tells you that you have the Covid 19 virus active in your body, so you should seek professional help as soon as possible to start treatment. Along with this, it is also important that you isolate yourself and notify all the people who had contact with you.
- Negative: This tells you that you do not have the virus in your body, therefore you did not get the disease. However, many times false negatives can occur due to a poor execution of the test or due to the moment in which it was done.
The health emergency caused by Covid has caused our lifestyle to change in several aspects. Nobody is exempt from getting infected and although this is alarming, if all available Covid tests are used to diagnose in time and treatment is followed, recovery is possible.
