COVID-19 tests are in greater demand than ever, and new data about the Omicron variant can make picking and using different types of tests confusing. Molecular tests for COVID-19, like the "RT-PCR" ...

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 ...

A PCR test is often considered the gold standard for detecting coronavirus infection. It’s the test some employers want employees to take before returning to work after having Covid-19, and the one ...

COVID-19 is commonly diagnosed by quantitative fluorescence real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) (1, 2). The test is the sequential action of two enzymes–an ...

As SARS-C0V-2 variants emerged, researchers developed a PCR test that uses molecular beacons not only to diagnose COVID-19 infection, but also to identify the specific variant causing that infection.

PCR, or polymerase chain reaction, technology is the most accurate way to test for SARS-CoV-2. It involves taking a swab sample from a subject and amplifying the viral genetic material in a lab. In ...

Two types of COVID-19 tests, the rapid antigen test and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, are available in the United States. The PCR typically relies on lab testing and is still considered ...