Antigen testing is a method for rapid detection of COVID-19 antigens. It labels polyclonal antibodies against COVID-19 proteins on test strips and is used to detect COVID-19 antigens in samples.
According to the eighth edition of the "New Coronavirus Pneumonia Diagnosis and Treatment Plan", currently, the commonly used laboratory testing methods for the new coronavirus include: nucleic acid testing, whole-gene sequencing of the virus, and antibody testing.
After the implementation of antigen testing, another testing method has been added to prevent and control the new coronavirus epidemic.
Compared with nucleic acid testing, antigen testing has two advantages.
The first is convenience. The rapid antigen detection kit is somewhat similar to a pregnancy test stick and can be done at home. It does not need to rely on complex equipment like nucleic acid testing.
The second is speed. Nucleic acid testing takes 4-6 hours at the fastest, while antigen testing only takes 10-20 minutes to get results, so you can get them immediately.
Antigen detection can be used as a supplementary method to screen specific groups of people, which is helpful to improve the ability of ‘early detection’. Antigen testing has long been used in many countries, including Hong Kong, my country. Increased antigen testing can be carried out in primary medical institutions, communities, rural clinics, and even school clinics. Its operation is relatively simple. If there are multiple sporadic or clustered epidemics, the infected people can be found faster through antigen testing and isolation measures can be taken earlier.