![]() ![]() However,people can achieve greater sensitivity with at-home antigen tests by testing “serially,” or every few days, the statement said. “As we prepare for the next surge, I think some of this data shows that at-home antigen tests should be a critical tool used in the response.”īefore the Omicron variant emerged, studies found at-home antigen tests had a lower sensitivity than PCR tests when it came to detecting COVID-19 during early stages of an infection. Apurv Soni, assistant professor of medicine at Chan and principal investigator on the study, said in the statement. “So, in a world where there is still a testing shortage and PCR tests could take days to get results, at-home antigen tests perform relatively well delivering results in 15 minutes or less and offer a tool that’s helpful to bring the surge volumes down,” Dr. All told, 82 percent of participants with Delta and 92 percent of those with Omicron tested positive with an at-home antigen test within 48 hours of their first positive PCR test, researchers said. Two-thirds of the positive tests were for Omicron and the remainder were for Delta, the statement said. Participants tested themselves every 48 hours for 15 days, with testing occurring from October 2021 through January 2022, a period that covered the Delta and Omicron surges, according to the statement.ĭuring the study period, 281 participants tested positive for COVID-19 using PCR testing. Researchers, the statement said, used data from 5,726 participants, who took an at-home antigen test using retail test kits and who also collected a sample for a molecular PCR test, using nasal swabs for both samples. PCR tests require a laboratory analysis of a nasal swab, amplify it, and search for signs of the coronavirus, the Globe has reported. ![]() Polymerase chain reaction tests, better known as PCR tests, detect the genetic material from the virus, while rapid antigen tests detect specific proteins from the virus, according to the FDA.Īntigen tests do not require laboratory analysis, and results are known within 15 minutes. ![]() The two tests differ in time and process. The findings of the study, which has not yet been peer reviewed, appeared in the online outlet medRxiv. ![]()
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