![]() ![]() Stay home and take another test in 24 hours. However, she cautions, if you're feeling under the weather - even if you test negative - don't go. She suggests taking one an hour before going to a gathering to determine if you're infectious. "I think the test should only be done if it's going to change how you're going to act," Bjerre said. That means in a very short period of time there's huge growth in a person's viral load and less of a window for false negatives. With Omicron, she says scientists are finding there's a much shorter incubation period in the body - between 1.5 and three days - unlike Delta, which had an incubation period of five to six days on average. Bjerre says the tests have an accuracy of around 97 or 98 per cent.īut she says they're like pregnancy tests, take one too early and the test will be negative. If a rapid test is positive, it's very likely the person has COVID-19. (Andrew Vaughan/The Canadian Press) How accurate is a rapid test? A positive test looks like the cassette on the right. If you see lines at the "C" and at the "T" marker, you've tested positive. You did the test correctly and are negative if you see only one line by the "C" marker. Set a 15-minute timer and then check for results. Squeeze either three or five drops of the solution - it differs based on the brand of rapid test - onto testing cassette, in the round dip where you see the picture of the drops. Take it out and put it into the tube and make sure to get it entirely into the buffer solution by tilting the tube slightly. Then press down on your nostril and rotate the swab for another five to ten seconds. Tilt your head back and gently put the swab into your nostril about half an inch and swirl it around for for five to 10 seconds. Start by putting the buffer solution into the extraction tube. The test kits contain a nasal swab, an extraction tube, buffer solution and a testing cassette. WATCH | A step-by-step guide on how to use a rapid test kit yourself:ĭuration 1:51 With the province releasing home rapid COVID-19 test kits, Edmonton pharmacist Shivali Sharma shows CBC’s Pippa Reed how to use one properly. The instructions below are for the Rapid Response rapid antigen test made by BTNX, but always make sure to follow instructions on your specific testing kit and adhere to public health guidelines in your region. The amplification makes the virus detectable at lower levels and is why the PCR test is the gold standard.īoth tests are calibrated to test specifically for SARS-CoV-2 and Bjerre says you won't get a positive result if you have the flu, for example. This is different from a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, which amplifies the virus's RNA, or genetic material. Rapid tests measure the nucleoside cap protein, which is the protein that is wrapped around the virus's genetic material. It has a threshold at which the amount of particles tips the test over to a positive result. The test measures the amount of viral particles that make someone infectious and gives a yes or no result. How does a rapid test work?Ī COVID-19 rapid antigen test - Bjerre says antigen is another way of saying virus - detects the SARS-CoV-2 virus in nasal secretions. However, if you are able to get your hands on a package of tests, Lise Bjerre has advice on when and how to use them.ījerre is an epidemiologist and a chair in family medicine at the University of Ottawa. Ontarians who resell rapid antigen COVID-19 test kits could be fined. ![]()
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