Question

Obtain at least three test methods for Covid-19 and obtain their sensitivity or specificity. You will need to research different sources from testing companies or independent tests. Which one would you recommend for your community?

Answer 1

Test methods for covid 19 includes:;

1. PCR testing
2. Serologic testing
3. Saliva tests

PCR testing

• PCR testing are used to directly detect the presence of an antigen, rather than the presence of the body's immune response, or antibodies
• By detecting viral RNA, which will be present in the body before antiboodies form or symptoms of the disease are present, the tests can tell whether or not someone has the virus very early on.

SPECIFICITY:

• PCR gives a good indication of who is infected.
• They can be isolated and get in contact with people they have been in touch with so they can be quarantined too, just in case. that is the true advantage of the current major diagnostic tests, break the transmission chain and gets a clear picture of what is happening.
• By scaling PCR testing to screen vast swathes of nasopharyngeal swab samples from within a population, public health officials can get a cleare picture of the spread of a disease like covid 19 within a population.

SEROLOGIC TESTING

• An antibody test tells us what proportion of the population has been infected. it wont tell who is infected, because the antibodies are generated after a week or two, after which time the virus should have been cleared from the system.
• But it tells who been infected and who should be immune to the virus
• Unlike PCR tests, which commonly use swabs to detect covid 19 , blood samples are usually used for antibody tests. This is because there will be a very small amout of the coronavirus circulating in the blood compared to the respiratory tract, but a significant and measurable antibody presence.

SALIVA TESTS

• Saliva tests allow a patient to spit into a tube rather than get their nose or throat swabbed.
• Saliva tests may be more comfortable for some people and may be safer for health care workers who can be farther away during the sample collection.

I would recommend gold standard PCR or rapid testing for my community

• If used correctly, gold standard PCR shows promise for use in community settings to rapidly and affordably identify individuals with and without symptoms who are most likely to be actively infectious, invidulas who should be the highest priority for isolation to prevent further transmissions.
• Since the beginning of the covid 19 pandemic, governments, businesses and health care providers have relied on PCR based tests to identify people infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
• These tests are highly sensitive, but are also expensive, require specialized equipment, and can take days to return results.
• Rapid tests-less sensitive than PCR but able to provide results in 15 to 30 minutes have been emerging as a potential complement to PCR testing.