Are you worried you might have been exposed to someone that has COVID-19 over the holidays? The Omicron variant has made its way across Connecticut and we have seen a huge uptick in cases over the past two months.
AFC Urgent Care Danbury is providing COVID-19 testing in order to ensure that patients that are at risk for COVID-19 are able to get an accurate and efficient diagnosis without a hassle. At this time we are offering Rapid and PCR testing options. But, to some of you, COVID-19 testing might mean one thing.
“What are the differences between Rapid COVID-19 tests and The PCR Test?” is a common question being asked. We know it might sound confusing, especially with other testing options being thrown in the mix, but we’ll help break down the differences.
PCR Tests Are The Gold Standard For COVID-19 Testing
If you’ve ever been asked to show proof of a COVID-19 test, most likely they were asking for a PCR test. PCR Tests are the most reliable and accurate testing option when detecting the COVID-19 virus. The name “PCR” stands for polymerase chain reaction.
This type of test converts any virus RNA into DNA while amplifying it into millions of copies so that molecular testing can easily detect even the slightest bit of viral RNA in your sample. It’s ideal for confirming you have COVID-19 in the early stages of infection regardless if you’re asymptomatic or symptomatic.
The disadvantages of PCR testing is that they can take up to 48-72 hours to get results. AFC Urgent Care Danbury offers PCR testing as the way to go when confirming a positive or negative test result. We now offer a patient portal via email to send you results after 48-72 hours making it easier for you to know and show your employer, family members or travel destination.
We also offer a Rapid version of the Molecular test making it easier for anyone to get results on the same day and under 20 minutes. We highly suggest sticking around as we can hand you your results right there and then. Both the Rapid Molecular and the standard PCR option don’t require an appointment. You can walk-in any day of the week.
Don’t Confuse Rapid Molecular Tests and Rapid Antigen Tests
They’re not the same thing.
Antigen tests only test for the protein of the virus. The benefit of a PCR test is that if you have a low viral amount of the COVID-19 virus in your specimen collection, the test would be able to detect it. The antigen test may have its advantages of giving you quick results, but if you don’t test in the early stages, or have a low count of the virus in your system, the antigen test may not be able to pick it up. This is why you constantly hear about false negatives with antigen tests. The accuracy is the trade off for the speediness of the test.
AFC Urgent Care Danbury does not offer the antigen test due to its reliability and accuracy issues. Instead we offer the PCR and the rapid Molecular test as these molecular tests provide the best detection and are more specific when identifying the virus in the sample. In addition to this, PCR tests and rapid Molecular tests are widely accepted as a “proof of test'' whereas an antigen test is not widely accepted.
Don’t Delay. Get Tested Today!
Beware of the type of test you see when trying to find a COVID-19 testing location. If it says “antigen”, prepare to test again with a PCR test for more accuracy.***Due to the high demand during the holiday crunch time, we are asking that you come in in the morning and grab a ticket that will assign you a time to come back and be seen.We also offer urgent care needs and specialties like flu shots, X-ray services, employer services, physicals and more.
***NEW
The CDC guidelines have recently been updated to shorten the quarantine and isolation time for people who test positive in the U.S. Isolation time has been reduced from 10 days to 5 days. It is required to wear a mask for another 5 days as an extra precaution. For more information and guidance,click here.
