There are different tests available for covid -19 tests whether it’s the current infection or past infection. These include a viral test and antibody test. Docsun’s OCT technology has derived a new way to check for Covid symptoms using facial features.
A viral test tells you if you have a current infection. Two types of viral tests include the nucleic acid amplification test (NAATS) and antigen tests.
An antibody test is also known as a serology test. This one might tell you if you have had a past infection. Antibody tests are not recommended to be used to diagnose a current infection
- Who should be tested for current covid 19 current infection
- People who have symptoms of covid 19
- Most people who have had close contact with someone confirmed to be covid 19, usually persons who were within 6 feet for a total of 15minutes or more over a 24-hour period.
- People who have taken part in activities that put them at a higher risk for covid 19 because they cannot physically distance as needed to avoid exposure, such as travel, attending large social or mass gatherings, or being in crowded or poorly ventilated indoor settings.
- People who have been asked or referred to get tested by their healthcare provider
Tests for Past Coronavirus Infection
The antibody or the serology test looks for antibodies in your blood to determine if you had a past infection with the virus that causes covid 19. antibodies are proteins created by your body’s immune system soon after you have been infected or vaccinated antibodies help you fight off infections and can protect you from getting that disease again.
Antibody tests should not be used to diagnose a current infection with the virus that causes covid 19 except in instances in which viral testing is delayed. An antibody test may not show if you have a current infection because it can take up to 1-3 weeks after the infection for your body to make the antibodies. A positive test result shows you may have antibodies from an infection with the virus that causes covid 19, however, there is a chance that a positive result means you have antibodies from an infection with a different virus from the same family of viruses called coronaviruses. However other coronaviruses cannot produce a positive result on a viral test for SARS-CoV-2.
