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 ...

Molecular tests are far superior to rapid antigen tests—and now you can get them for home use. Amanda Blum is a freelancer who writes about smart home technology, gardening, and food preservation.

With Omicron subvariants continuing to evolve and spread, more and more people are testing positive for COVID across the US and Illinois. As of the latest update, eight counties in Illinois were ...

Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. A medical worker performs a COVID-19 test at a screening center in Saint-Denis, France, on Nov. 4, 2020. Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. If you had COVID-19 ...

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test detects genetic material from a pathogen or abnormal cell sample. Ways of collecting samples include a nasal swab, a saliva swab, or taking a sample of blood.

Recall, if you dare, life in December 2020. America had just approved Covid-19 vaccines for use, but most of us wouldn’t get a shot for months. Instead, amid the second surge of coronavirus cases, ...

Is it the flu, COVID or something else? That old rapid antigen test sitting in your cupboard may tell you. But this is what ...

“Infectious diseases don’t respect borders,” says Khoa Thai, a clinical microbiologist at the Star-shl medical diagnostics laboratory in the Netherlands. To limit their spread, we need a globally ...