RAPID TESTS

New concerns about rapid covid 19 antigen tests a new anaysis from the university of arizona

Tell us more about rapid tests-- and who should get them.

:00 :16 rapid covid-19 antigen testing, now being done at clinics... nursing homes,... and some schools promise results in minutes... they're designed to find signs of the virus-- called antigens-- ... but doctors warn, they can easily miss the mark.

(sot: dr. joseph chang / chief medical officer / parkland hospitals) "it's kind of like a smoke detector, the smoke detector doesn't detect the fire.

They're not really testing the virus itself.

Which drives the inaccuracy in some of the results."

Parkland chief medical officer dr. joseph chang..

Says antigen tests don't reliably detect the virus in infected but asymptomatic people.

A concern, he says, as many people easily run out to get a rapid test ... soon after they learned they've been exposed..

(sot: dr. joseph chang / chief medical officer / parkland hospitals) "so many people go with this thinking that if i get a negative test then i'm fine i don't need to quarantine.

That is not true.

That is just not true.

Just because you have a negative test, doesn't mean you will not develop symptoms in a few days and you will be infectious and you will be spreading it to other people."

It takes at least two days for the coronavirus to build in your system.

The average amount of time it takes to get sick after exposure is a week.

So if you're not showing symptoms, when should you run out and get an antigen test?

(sot: dr. joseph chang / chief medical officer / parkland hospitals) "the real answer to that question is that you would have to get a test every few days..

All the way up to 14 days for you to know anything."

Which is why he says, it is still best to self-quarantine if you know you've been exposed.

You can also get the more accurate p-c-r nose swab, although those aren't perfect either.

Bottom line, according to chang: (sot: dr. joseph chang / chief medical officer / parkland hospitals) "if you have symptoms and you're sick, then most of the time