Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and rapid (antigen) tests for COVID-19 both involve taking a swab. Results for a PCR test take longer, as it needs to go to a laboratory. It is more costly but tends to ...

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test detects genetic material from a pathogen or abnormal cell sample. Ways of collecting samples include a nasal swab, a saliva swab, or taking a sample of blood.

COVID-19 tests are in greater demand than ever, and new data about the Omicron variant can make picking and using different types of tests confusing. Molecular tests for COVID-19, like the "RT-PCR" ...

No one is really excited about a nasal swab or spitting in a tube, but now that testing has become the next front in the war against COVID-19, rapid tests (now available for free through ...

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 ...

Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. A medical worker performs a COVID-19 test at a screening center in Saint-Denis, France, on Nov. 4, 2020. Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. If you had COVID-19 ...

Thea van de Mortel teaches into the Master of Infection Prevention and Control program at Griffith University. A new type of COVID test is set to be available from November for Australians to use at ...

With Omicron surging in the United States, many people are taking COVID-19 tests to see whether they test positive. Most people will take either a rapid antigen or PCR test. Though the PCR test is ...