When you should take a PCR vs. a rapid antigen test

A PCR test is often considered the gold standard for detecting coronavirus infection. It's the test some employers want employees to take before returning to work after having Covid-19, and the one some people scramble to schedule to know whether they can travel or stop isolating. But experts say the PCR test isn't the best one for every situation.

PCR -- or reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction -- tests can detect small amounts of the coronavirus' genetic material in a specimen collected from a human. The test then works by amplifying, or making copies of, that genetic material if any is present in a person's sample, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Some places, such as Antarctica and Kosovo, require travelers to show proof of a negative PCR test before entering."If the requirement is a PCR within like 72 hours of travel or similar, a lot can happen in those three days," Somers said."That negative PCR from a specimen that was taken three days before travel may not be any better than a rapid on the day of travel.

Two years late on covering this topic and the topic of face masks. Is the narrative starting to fall apart or what?

This is the fundamental problem!

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