As Taiwan deals with its recent surge in COVID cases, home rapid tests have become the most common way to detect new cases. But even if you have symptoms, rapid tests can sometimes give false negative results. To reduce that risk, doctors are debating new testing methods.
When people start to exhibit common symptoms of COVID-19, some can be surprised to find their rapid test result is negative. Still, doctors warn that the tests are not always reliable.
National Taiwan University professor Li Chien-chang says that doing two rapid tests with separate samples from the nose and throat can give a more accurate result. He says that this combination can give a result with almost 90% accuracy, although people need to make sure they swab both sides of their tonsils when gathering throat samples.
Doctor Tseng Che-huang says that swabbing both sides of the tonsils can retrieve the best sample, especially in Omicron cases. Tseng says this is because Omicron usually targets the throat first, and so it can be easier to detect the disease earlier in this area. Getting accurate results sooner can also help people receive more timely and effective medical treatment.
Since buying rapid test kits has become more accessible, taking two tests with two different samples may be a convenient way for people to get an accurate COVID diagnosis at home.