The coronavirus pandemic continues to be front and centre of most news stories at the moment, with the need to detect and manage the virus becoming even more vital as lockdown restrictions continue to be lifted.
Taking a COVID-19 test to check if you have coronavirus has been identified by the UK Government as being a critical way for us all to help the country come out of lockdown safely.
What are the symptoms of Coronavirus?
The main symptoms of Coronavirus, identified by the NHS, are:
- A high temperature
- A new continuous cough
- A loss or change to your sense of smell
Most people who test positive for Coronavirus have at least one of these symptoms. They may also experience:
- Tiredness
- Vomiting
- Diarrhoea
If you develop symptoms and want to check if you have coronavirus, then you should refer to the NHS guidelines. If you don’t have symptoms but want to ensure you are not infected then you should take a COVID-19 diagnostic test – such as the Fit2FlyTest Peace of Mind COVID-19 PCR Test.
What is a PCR test?
The most widely used diagnostic test for COVID-19 is the PCR test which is taken through the use of a swab test. When you are undergoing a PCR home test you will insert a long-handled swab deep into your nose, or your throat. The reason why the swab is so long is that the concentration of viral particles is higher, the deeper into the nasal passage one goes. Therefore, the swab needs to go deep into the nasal passage in order to make sure the test has the best chance to detect the presence of the coronavirus.
Once your sample has been taken, you can then post it directly to our laboratories, where our technicians will check for the virus. We can usually get a result back to you within 24 to 48 hours of us receiving the sample into our labs.
We use the Gold Standard PCR test kits, therefore the accuracy of our PCR Tests is very high and the results are also very reliable.
What is an Antigen Test?
The Antigen Test, also know as the rapid test, is a test that detects protein fragments that are specific to the coronavirus.
The reason it is called a rapid test is that it can offer a result within around 15 minutes. The downside to this, however, is that the results may not always be as accurate as they are with a PCR Test.
What is an Antibody Test?
The antibody test is not a diagnostic test, so it can’t tell you if you have coronavirus or not. What it can tell you is whether you have been exposed to the COVID-19 virus at some point in the past. Scientists working on the coronavirus have identified that at some point between one and three weeks after contracting the virus, our bodies will develop antibodies to the virus – which will show up in this test.
The other difference with this test to the diagnostic tests is that it requires a blood sample for testing, rather than a swab test.
Here at Fit2FlyTest, we offer gold standard COVID-19 test kits so that you can test yourself for Coronavirus in the comfort of your own home. We aim to give you peace of mind that you can travel abroad or return to your daily life sagely – on receipt of a negative test result.
