The inner workings of an antigen test!
I can almost guarantee every one of you have taken an antigen test recently or plan to in the very near future (this weekend perhaps??).
I figured I’d take a second to explain how they work! What are those two pink lines (or hopefully only one!)? How does it work? Why is it sometimes more faint? What is a false negative and how does it happen? Why might you want to repeat the test a few days after a negative result post-exposure?
I’m a firm believer in understanding how something works. If you know how the antigen test works I feel confident you will better know how to use them appropriately to screen for infection.
Swipe through to understand the biological design of what is known as a lateral flow test!
My suggestions for antigen testing:
1️⃣ Before an event – ideally have everyone in your party take a test within an hour or two of arriving. If anyone is positive they should stay home.
2️⃣ If you have a known exposure, ideally isolate yourself as much as possible and take a test 3-5 days later when you would have enough antigen to show up.
3️⃣ If you are symptomatic, definitely isolate. Taking a test immediately and/or 2-3 days later (if initial was negative) is recommended to confirm infection. However, in my opinion, if you’re symptomatic, whether or not it is COVID should not determine your actions. We don’t want to spread anything!