The Woodlands Hospital has begun providing a rapid test for COVID-19 to the public.
The rapid test, which is an antigen test, takes twenty minutes to return a result.
According to a staffer at Woodlands, anyone can visit the hospital without an appointment and ask to have the test done.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently gave approval for this new test which is less costly and does not need a lab to return results. A patient is given a nasal swab which is inserted into a card similar in design to a pregnancy test. According to the FDA, the test is designed to look for small proteins on the surface of the virus. If such proteins are picked up, then the test shows a coloured line to indicate that the sample is carrying the COVID-19 infection.
Though the sensitivity of the rapid test is not the same as the PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) test its accuracy is not far from the PCR testing which is tested in a lab.
With the rapid testing, more persons can be tested faster as results are given almost right away which allows those who are positive to be isolated sooner than later.
Testing can be done at the hospital for $5,000. For more information on the rapid testing, Woodlands Hospital can be reached at 227-0355 Ext 281.
According to the Mayo Clinic, the COVID-19 antigen test detects certain proteins in the virus.
“Using a nasal or throat swab to get a fluid sample, antigen tests can produce results in minutes. Because these tests are faster and less expensive than PCR tests, antigen tests may be more practical to use for large numbers of people. A positive antigen test result is considered very accurate, but there’s an increased chance of false-negative results — meaning it’s possible to be infected with the virus but have a negative result. Depending on the situation, the doctor may recommend a PCR test to confirm a negative antigen test result”, the Mayo Clinic website said.
