A perspective on the effectiveness of SARS-Cov-2 rapid testing kits

Abstract

Patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) are generally diagnosed by rapid antigen test (RAT) and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests. However, there is a conflict that the RT-PCR test is more effective than the RAT. The primary objective of this perspective is to compare and outline the effectiveness of SARS-CoV-2 rapid testing kits available in the market with RT-PCR tests. Recently published systematic reviews and meta-analysis reports containing comparative studies of RAT and RT-PCR were selected. The analysis results revealed that RAT kits provide remarkable specificity and sensitivity in the early stages of infection, particularly when the viral load is huge, compared to RT-PCR. In addition, a trustworthy substitute for nasopharyngeal sampling is the use of nasal specimens for antigen detection, which are patient-friendly and somewhat sensitive. RAT could be beneficial in the combat against the COVID-19 pandemic, but it has to be combined with appropriate monitoring of results that come back negative.