By Richard Harris
A COVID-19 antibody testing center is seen at Steve's 9th Street Market in Brooklyn on April 25. Here's a quick guide to sorting out the pluses and minuses to each type of test.
Testing for the coronavirus (click here) has been very much in the news. The first and most urgent focus is on increasing access to tests to diagnose people with current infections. But now other tests are appearing as well. Antibody tests, which can identify people with signs of past infection, are starting to be available. And a third type of test is on the way.
Here's a quick guide to sorting out the pluses and minuses to each type of test.
Diagnostic or PCR test
What it does: Doctors use this test to diagnose people who are currently sick with COVID-19. This is the one we've been hearing so much about.
How it works: This test uses a sample of mucus typically taken from a person's nose or throat. The test may also work on saliva — that's under investigation. It looks for the genetic material of the coronavirus. The test uses a technology called PCR (polymerase chain reaction), which greatly amplifies the viral genetic material if it is present. That material is detectable when a person is actively infected....
