Community Labs proudly offers PCR testing, FDA’s gold standard. Antigen testing is also a popular form of testing for COVID-19. Both are diagnostic tests designed to detect current infection. Here’s a side-by-side comparison:
An antibody test is not a diagnostic test. It is not intended for people who currently are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and does not check for the presence of the virus. Antibodies are proteins that help the body fight infections and may remain in the body for some time. Antibody tests are used to detect these antibodies to determine if a person was previously infected with the virus that causes COVID-19.
If you have symptoms, you should get tested right away through your healthcare provider. If your test returns a negative, they will likely require you to take a second PCR test for assurance.
You should immediately quarantine before you get a test. On average, it takes 4-5 days after someone is infected with COVID-19 for them to show symptoms. It is recommended to take a test 4-5 days after exposure and another test 14 days after exposure.
If you are interacting with people through your job, visiting family and friends, traveling, we recommend testing weekly for “assurance.”
According to a study done by PNAS, silent disease transmission during the presymptomatic and asymptomatic stages are responsible for more than 50% of the overall attack rate in COVID-19 outbreaks. Furthermore, such silent transmission alone can sustain outbreaks even if all symptomatic cases are immediately isolated. It is for this reason that testing is one way to lower the risk of spreading COVID-19.
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