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. Last week, I was about to go on a date, and because I'm severely immunocompromised, we agreed he would ...

There are three different ways to test for COVID-19: PCR tests, antigen tests and antibody tests. Each method is best for a different stage of COVID-19 infection. Used in sequence, all three methods ...

Every American traveling abroad needs to take an antigen test to return to the United States. But the start of the trip is often even more cumbersome, as many other countries (nearly every one I have ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Matt Binnicker is the CSO for Mayo Collaborative Services. Dr. Matt Binnicker, an expert in the diagnosis of infectious diseases, ...

New COVID-19 restrictions for international travel and other activities are fueling consumer demand for highly accurate polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, tests with rapid turnaround times. Some ...

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" ...

If you took a COVID-19 PCR test, there's a chance your swab may have been sent to scientists around the globe for genomic sequencing analysis, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. In a ...

If you're wanting a rapid COVID-19 test this weekend in Sioux Falls, you might be running out of time. COVID-19 cases are on the upswing across the nation, now that the Omicron variant has been ...

PCR is a mainstay in diagnostics, but whether a sample is collected at a clinic or at home, such tests require sending a sample to a lab and then waiting for results. A new FDA authorized ...

Last week, I was about to go on a date, and because I'm severely immunocompromised, we agreed he would take a COVID test using one of my rapid home PCR tests. It was a courtesy—he felt perfectly fine— ...