Getting tested for coronavirus, using rapid, antigen home tests, has become a routine procedure for many Israelis. Especially now, that children are required to get tested at home twice a week if they want to continue to attend school in person.
Antigen tests are considered to be less reliable than PCR, but can be made to yield more reliable outcomes when used properly. However, most people, misuse the home kits and receive a negative result even when contagion with the virus has occurred.
Antigen tests look for nucleocapsid protein by dissolving a sample taken with a swab, to cause a chemical reaction that should indicate its presence.
But the testing kit requires a certain amount of the protein before it can be detected, which depends on the virus load in the body, and the ability to collect enough of it.
Mistakes that could occur during testing, which may alter results:
1. Improper storage: Antigen tests must be stored in moderate temperatures. A testing kit that is kept in a room with extremely high or low temperatures could be damaged. Tests should not be kept in rooms with high levels of humidity, such as kitchens or bathrooms.
2. Lack of hygiene: Hands that have not been thoroughly cleaned or unclean surfaces could affect test results. Before administering the test, people are asked to ensure proper hygiene and use gloves.
3. Unlike earlier variants of COVID-19, Omicron does not infect the lungs, therefore when testing, swabs must be taken from the throat area before the nasal passages.
4. Many mistakes occur during the process of inserting the sample into the solution provided in the home kit. Stir the swab in the solution and remove the entire sample from it. Use the indicated number of solution drops.
5. For accurate results, wait the full 15 minutes as indicated on the home kit.
To ensure the exact amount of time has passed since test was administered, you should turn on the stopwatch and examine the result at the right time.