Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and rapid (antigen) tests for COVID-19 both involve taking a swab. Results for a PCR test take longer, as it needs to go to a laboratory. It is more costly but tends to ...

What does it mean if a person's rapid antigen test result comes back positive after five days of isolation due to COVID-19? According to the experts, that person is most likely still carrying a viral ...

COVID-19 rapid tests are easy to take—and then toss. So most people never report their results, which leaves health officials with an incomplete picture of how much virus is circulating and where. The ...

Editor's note, March 7, 2023: The recommendations in this article are out of date and will not be updated going forward. Should you feel sick, we recommend talking to a health care professional.

To quickly confirm an asymptomatic case of COVID-19, a second rapid test within an hour of a positive result can boost the accuracy of the result from 38 percent to 92 percent, according to a new ...

The pandemic isn’t over. Although it's no longer considered a national and public health emergency, we're currently seeing a surge in cases and the spread of two new variants—EG.5 (Eris) and BA.2.86 ( ...