With the continuation of the second wave of COVID-19 throughout Wisconsin, more and more people are being tested for the virus every day. This brings up the question of what kinds of tests there are, and which is the best to take.
We spoke with Manitowoc County Emergency Services Director Travis Waack, who said that the only test results that they include in their daily updates are what’s called a PCR test, which is what is used at hospitals and by the National Guard.
“The only tests that are a little bit different is some of the walk-in clinics for people who are very symptomatic are using what’s called antigen, or a rapid test,” Waack explained. “Those tests are a little different. You get your results in about 30 minutes. The problem with those is they’re not quite as accurate as the nasal swab PCR tests.”
Which is why they do not count them toward their records. The biggest problem with those tests is the fact that they take a significantly longer time for the results to come back.
There is a very similar test to those PCR tests that is done at places like CVS and other drive up pharmacies.
“Basically they give you a little kit in your car…and then you actually swab yourself…Then you pop it back in a test tube, you put the whole thing in a separate bag, and shooting back in to them, and they send it off to a lab and contact you with the results in a couple of days,” Waack told SeehaferNews.com.
This test is also a little different, as you don’t have to insert the swab quite as deep into your nose, but rather swirl it around in your nostril.
Over the past several weeks, Waack has continued to reiterate the importance of getting tested once you start to feel sick. He previously stated that a lot of people had felt a little unwell but continued to go to work and out in public, which resulted in a larger spread.