File:Coronavirus._SARS-CoV-2.png · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
COVID-19 test
Sign in to saveAlso known as SARS-CoV-2 detection, COVID-19 testing, COVID test, COVID testing, SARS-CoV-2 test, SARS-CoV-2 testing
diagnostic testing for the respiratory illness COVID-19 and the underlying pathogen SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus
A COVID-19 test is a diagnostic procedure that checks whether someone has the respiratory illness COVID-19 or is infected with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that causes it. These tests matter because they help identify who has the infection so they can take appropriate steps like isolating, seeking treatment, or notifying close contacts.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Research
74,680 papersvia PubMed
~40 min read
Encyclopedic overview
The US CDC's COVID-19 laboratory test kit
COVID-19 testing involves analyzing samples to assess the current or past presence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 and is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. The two main types of tests detect either the presence of the virus or antibodies produced in response to infection. Molecular tests for viral presence through its molecular components are used to diagnose individual cases and to allow public health authorities to trace and contain outbreaks. Antibody tests (serology immunoassays) instead show whether someone once had the disease. They are less useful for diagnosing current infections because antibodies may not develop for weeks after infection. It is used to assess disease prevalence, which aids the estimation of the infection fatality rate.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “COVID-19 test” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.