And if a local outbreak occurs, officials could hand out hundreds of at-home rapid tests to find and stop viral transmission. ADAt least two dozen companies are trying to develop home tests, most of them antigen tests that detect proteins on the surface of the virus. The FDA is requiring that antigen tests sold directly to consumers be more accurate than most antigen tests to date, because consumers at home will be left to interpret the results on their own. Because antigen tests are less sensitive, they can produce false negatives — causing people to think they’re fine when they are in fact infectious. People screening positive on the home antigen tests could have their status confirmed with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests — a molecular process that is more precise but more expensive and takes longer.

Source: Washington Post October 24, 2020 15:30 UTC