By now, many have become all too familiar with rapid antigen tests for diagnosis of COVID-19. Slightly less accurate than the genetic tests administered by healthcare professionals, the rapid antigen tests’ ease-of-use allows the general public to monitor themselves for COVID-19 infections at home and make timely decisions to help stop the spread. The home tests, however, were developed and granted federal authorization for use with the original SARS-CoV-2 viral strain that emerged late in 2019. Since then, the virus has evolved countless times, and several viral variants of concern have emerged, including the highly infectious delta and omicron variants that swept across the United States last summer and winter respectively.
Rapid antigen COVID-19 tests may not be keeping pace with variants of concern, researchers find
By now, many have become all too familiar with rapid antigen tests for diagnosis of COVID-19. Slightly less accurate than the genetic tests administered by healthcare professionals, the rapid antigen tests' ease-of-use allows the general public to monitor themselves for COVID-19 infections at home and make timely decisions to help stop the spread. The home tests, however, were developed and granted federal authorization for use with the original SARS-CoV-2 viral strain that emerged late in 2019. Since then, the virus has evolved countless times, and several viral variants of concern have emerged, including the highly infectious delta and omicron variants that swept across the United States last summer and winter respectively.