COVID-19 cases now eclipse 5 million in the United States, according to the latest COVID statistics from the CDC (August 2020). With communities slowly re-opening, patients and families need a faster way to test for COVID-19. The good news for patients is that Rapid COVID-19 Testing is expanding at AFC Urgent Care Arlington for patients that have an appointment! But many patients may not fully understand the differences between standard and rapid testing as well as other patient benefits.

Travel guidelines for both private organizations and state policies mostly require access to COVID testing to ensure that you are not infected. Businesses with employers and employees alike need COVID testing to frequently evaluate their health risk and other factors that lead to potential spread. The benefits of rapid testing for all of these patient groups includes a fast and same-day return of your test results as well as other advantages compared to standard swab testing:

Rapid testing allows patients to evaluate COVID risks in one visit

The immediate benefit of COVID-19 rapid testing is that patients can learn if current symptoms, risks, or contact with an infected patient has led to an active COVID-19 infection. However, unlike swab testing a rapid test can determine if you have an infection on the same day as your visit. Swab tests may take upwards of a few days while patients can get their rapid test results in just under 45 minutes.

Rapid tests, using either antigen or molecular analyses, quickly determine if a patient is positive or negative for COVID-19. Any patient that needs to determine if they are safe for returning to work, school, or daily activities can do so on the same day of visit.

At AFC Urgent Care Arlington, patients may book their appointment online for a COVID-19 telehealth screening and then get rapid testing at our urgent care center!

Rapid COVID-19 tests keep communities informed, updated, and safe

We as a community must work together to safely re-open our schools, public services, and businesses and establish a “new normal.” The good news with rapid testing is that these objectives are far easier when testing access is immediate and results are fast.

Rapid COVID-19 testing allows us to test more patients in a given day, determine if the virus is spreading locally, and evaluate the risk of a widespread infection within a community. The state uses reported COVID cases to accurate trace the spread of a contagion or evaluate if cases are contained. It is important to note that providers will not immediately advise COVID-19 testing for asymptomatic patients. Patients that have risks and symptoms are the most likely to benefit from COVID-19 testing.

Rapid testing is just another service that AFC Arlington is expanding to ensure that all patients can successfully get tested for COVID-19 and return to the new normal.