Fast coronavirus tests: what they can and can't do
The US has granted emergency-use approval for a credit-card-sized device that tests for the coronavirus. It costs US$5, gives results in 15 minutes and doesn’t require a laboratory or a machine for processing. The tests detect specific proteins — known as antigens — on the surface of the virus. These tests are a key element in the testing strategies of other countries, such as India and Italy.
Antigen assays are much faster and cheaper than the gold-standard polymerase chain reaction tests, which detect the virus’s RNA. Antigen tests are less sensitive, and could potentially be self-administered at home. This makes for a double-edged sword. Less sensitivity might mean not detecting people who are infected, but it could help if it clears those who have the virus but are no longer infectious to others. Home use could help to expand testing, but might give people a false sense of security, hinder efforts to trace people’s contacts or lead to inequalities in who has access.
Nature | 11 min read
Antigen assays are much faster and cheaper than the gold-standard polymerase chain reaction tests, which detect the virus’s RNA. Antigen tests are less sensitive, and could potentially be self-administered at home. This makes for a double-edged sword. Less sensitivity might mean not detecting people who are infected, but it could help if it clears those who have the virus but are no longer infectious to others. Home use could help to expand testing, but might give people a false sense of security, hinder efforts to trace people’s contacts or lead to inequalities in who has access.
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