COVID-19 Tests and Why You Should Go for Testing
3 min read
When is it appropriate to go for COVID-19 testing? Though everyone has a different opinion about contacting a medical professional for testing, situations may be different. Thus, your reason to go for testing significantly depends on your symptoms and scenario. For instance, in your trusted Otsego, MN Covid testing center, your doctor may not necessarily perform the test because you have possible symptoms and had exposure to the virus. Your healthcare provider can perform the test as a request from your employer.
Why would your doctor recommend a current test for COVID-19?
Your doctor may suggest a COVID-19 test regardless of prior infection or your vaccination status. The healthcare professional may advise you to go in quarantine, especially if you went for the vaccination because you had symptoms or had potential exposure to the virus. Nonetheless, the medical expert will still expect you to continue following COVID-19 guidelines.
The practitioner will most likely recommend the testing if:
- You have COVID-19 symptoms
- You were in contact with someone who has tested positive for the virus. However, your doctor may not perform the test when you are fully vaccinated or if you tested positive for the virus and recovered within the past approximately three months (especially if you fail to develop new symptoms).
- Have not been vaccinated and you have taken part in activity likely to put you at risk because there was no physical distancing.
- Your doctor or organization requests the test.
What are the possible tests you are likely to have?
Molecular Testing
Molecular Testing (also referred to as PCR or RNA) entails using a nasal swab to collect cells and fluid samples from deep inside your respiratory system or the back of your throat. After extracting the samples, your doctor will take the swab to the lab, where the lab tech will check out the presence of COVID-19 genetic material. Though molecular testing is an accurate test, you may have to wait longer for your results as the lab evaluation can take time.
Antigen Testing (Rapid Testing)
Like molecular testing, your healthcare provider will use a swabbing process to collect samples from your respiratory tract. However, the medical expert will not take the swab to the lab. As a result, you are likely to get your results sooner than in molecular testing. Though the test efficiently identifies the virus antigens, COVID-19 antigens take time before they manifest in your system. Therefore, you are likely to test negative with an antigen test though you have the virus.
Antibody Testing
Unlike rapid and molecular tests, an antibody test does not use swabs to collect samples. Instead, your doctor uses your blood sample to check out for COVID-19 antibodies in your body. Positive results mean that you had the virus in your system in the past, whether you knew about it or did not. Thus your body develops a defense system against the virus.
Contacting your doctor for COVID-19 testing does not necessarily mean that you have the virus in your bloodstream. Your doctor may also advise you to go for testing, especially if you took part in activities likely to increase your risks of contracting the virus. Consult your doctor for more inquiries on COVID-19 tests.
