Michael

#Covid19 #CovidIsNotOver #PCRTests

"Last week, I was about to go on a date, and because I'm severely immunocompromised, we agreed he would take a COVID test using one of my rapid home PCR tests. It was a courtesy—he felt perfectly fine— but he tested positive. By the next day, he was sick as a dog. And, by the way, the rapid antigen test he took when he got home that night was negative. "

https://lifehacker.com/where-to-find-a-pcr-covid-test-and-why-you-need-one-1850779459

The Four Rapid COVID 'PCR' Style Tests You Can Take at Home (and Why You Should)

There’s a big difference between the standard at-home antigen test and a molecular (PCR or NAAT) test. Molecular tests are the ones you want when accurate testing is important. Here are four tests you can buy for at-home use.

Lifehacker
Oct 27, 2024 at 8:41pmWeb
Show threadJen, MPH Oct 28, 2024
@mjbarnes this is a great article about molecular/NAAT tests, but the at-home versions do not use the PCR method. They use different technologies to amplify the viral RNA and read it and are near the accuracy of PCR test, to call them all PCR tests is incorrect. Perhaps the author is using PCR as a term that the general public already knows, but only PCR is the gold standard, the others are not. Molecular tests are still more accurate than the common, cheaper at-home rapid antigen tests (RATs)