{"id":19495,"date":"2022-01-25T11:21:11","date_gmt":"2022-01-25T16:21:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thepapergown.zocdoc.com\/?p=19495"},"modified":"2026-08-14T10:24:37","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T15:24:37","slug":"covid-19-antigen-rapid-test","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/covid-19-antigen-rapid-test\/","title":{"rendered":"How Accurate Is Your At-Home Covid-19 Test?"},"content":{"rendered":"

If your favorite group chat blew up when the US government announced it was finally dropping promised 500 million at-home Covid-19 rapid tests, you’re not alone. As Omicron continues to spread, the USPS is starting to dole them out to households around the country. (If you haven\u2019t ordered a set yet, you can here.<\/a>)<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re vaccinated, you\u2019re much <\/span>less likely<\/span><\/a> to be hospitalized with a case of Covid-19, but <\/span>breakthrough cases<\/span><\/a> have become more and more common. In the midst of the recent spread, at-home rapid antigen tests have been flying off shelves.<\/a> \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr. Anthony Fauci<\/span><\/a> cautiously says he thinks the United States\u2019 current wave of Covid-19 is \u201cgoing in the right direction,\u201d but warns of a few hard weeks before we get there. (As of January 21, the US was still experiencing <\/span>an average<\/span><\/a> of around 20,000 Covid-19 hospitalizations per day; NBC has <\/span>reported<\/span><\/a> that 1 in 5 hospitals with ICUs don\u2019t have any beds left in their critical care units.)<\/span><\/p>\n

So for now, the reality is you’ll probably want some tests on hand. <\/span><\/p>\n

There are a few different types of tests to be aware of. The FDA has approved a slew of rapid-antigen tests.<\/span> You’ll find these, most of which come with a swab and return results in around 15 minutes, at the store or at Covid-19 testing sites. PCR tests<\/a>, which you can get at a Covid-19 testing site, produce more accurate results in as little as 24 hours.<\/span><\/p>\n

All this renewed interest in testing has brought up a lot of new questions. <\/span>We checked in with epidemiologist Thomas Duszynski<\/a> to clear up any confusion over what type of test you should seek out, the accuracy of at-home testing, how to make sure you\u2019re doing it correctly and more.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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First of all, how accurate are the at-home rapid Covid-19 antigen tests?<\/h3>\n

At a minimum, they’re usually <\/span>around 80 percent accurate<\/span><\/a> at detecting Covid-19, which is pretty good for a rapid at-home test.<\/span><\/p>\n

Say you develop symptoms. Should you take an at-home rapid test or rush to get a PCR test? How do the two types of tests compare?<\/h3>\n

Rapid tests are what we consider screening tests. There’s a high likelihood that the test is accurate. If the test says you have the disease, the likelihood of you having the disease is pretty high. Then you can go back and confirm with a PCR test if you wish.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, the disease process is going to be a little bit different for everyone. It gets a little complicated when you explain this, but during the early onset of symptoms, you may not have enough virus in your system to be detected by a rapid at-home antigen test just yet. The first couple of hours of having symptoms may not produce enough virus to detect it. Twenty-four hours later, you take a test again, your body is under attack from the virus and the viral replication is really high at that point, so then there is a better chance to capture it in a rapid at-home antigen test. <\/span><\/p>\n

The PCR test is the gold standard we rely on. They are more sensitive<\/span> because they capture and amplify what’s there. It can detect Covid-19 with less virus present. Because PCRs are more intensive, they also allow public health officials to do more sequencing. They can use data from PCRs identify whether a case is the Delta variant, Omicron or something else. With a rapid test, they don’t have those capabilities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Say you did one at-home test and it’s negative, but you still have bad symptoms. How many at-home tests do you recommend people take to confirm a positive?<\/h3>\n

I would just take one at this point. You have to remember that there are other things out there right now, including influenza, that can look like Covid-19. <\/span>If it is negative, contact your PCP and say, “I’ve taken this at-home test, it’s negative, I have these signs and symptoms.” They can give you some advice on whether or not to take another at-home test.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How good do you have to be at doing an at-home rapid antigen test to get an accurate result?<\/h3>\n

I did a rapid at-home test Saturday. Here are a couple of really important points: <\/span><\/p>\n