A positive test result indicates that you are most likely infected with COVID-19 and should self-isolate: stay at home, isolate yourself from others, and take steps to avoid transmitting the virus, such as wearing a face mask and practising proper hand hygiene as well as physical separation. If your symptoms worsen, call your local health care practitioner.
You do not need to be tested again once all of your symptoms have subsided and you have finished your isolation period as instructed by your health care practitioner.
If you get a negative test result, it signifies you don’t have COVID-19. Continue to use proper hand hygiene, maintain physical distance, and shield your face. This is particularly crucial if you are experiencing symptoms, as it is possible that you have the virus but the test did not find it. If you feel you tested negative but are in fact infected, talk to your doctor about having another test done.
Different airlines have different policies and they are changing frequently. Unfortunately we do not know the specific requirements of each airline. Please contact your airline for details of their particular requirements.
Yes, either because the test did not detect the virus or because you were infected after you took the test.
There is no difference between the COVID-19 diagnostic test used for adults and children.
There is no evidence to suggest the COVID-19 diagnostic test causes any side effects.
The gold standard for diagnosing viral infections is the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction test (RT-PCR), commonly known as PCR testing or Nucleic Acid Amplification tests (NAATs), which uses a highly sensitive and specific approach. A target portion of the viral genetic material is identified and amplified using this approach. Each RT-PCR test is created to detect a specific target based on the virus’s genetic code. This approach can be tweaked to seek for various viruses using different targets.
The PCR test detects the virus’s genetic material and is positive in the early stages of the disease, from incubation through symptom disappearance. If the PCR test results are negative, there are two possibilities: the disease has not yet been passed or it has already been passed, in which case an antibody test, such as an ELISA or a rapid antibody test, should be performed to confirm it.
The test we use at A1 Labs has a 99.9% accuracy rate. We found three viral RNA segments in our lab: protein S (spike), protein N (nucleocapsid), and ORF1 ab. To save time or money, other laboratories only identify one or two areas of viral RNA, and their results are far less reliable.