What it does
2. Nasal swab test (long cotton bud stick inserted up nose).
It seeks to show if someone has had Covid-19 in the past.
Benefits
Helps to show the spread of the disease.
Limitations
A food deliverer
Virus particles.
Testing people for Covid-19
If the result is positive, it is not certain that the person is immune (or unlikely to get infected again).
Who should have it?
Sources: Michael Brooks, New Scientist; NHS
Look at the main types of test available for Covid-19 in the table below. These were available in the UK in the summer of 2020. Try to match the people listed below the table against the type of test that you think they should have. (You might decide that some of them do not need a test.)
It seeks to show if someone has Covid-19 now.
A health worker
1. Temperature screening (thermometer).
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It can indicate if a person needs to self-isolate.
A person showing symptoms of Covid-19
A high body temperature.
The results may take a few days and, if negative, can be inaccurate or can go quickly out of date.
A care giver who visits elderly people in their homes
It seeks to show if someone might be unwell.
3. Blood test (by a medical professional).
A school child coming into class
Quick, cheap.
A person boarding a flight
Antibodies (from a person’s reaction to virus).
A person going back to their family from hospital
A person who is self-isolating because they are vulnerable to the infection
Name of test (and how it is done)
What it checks for
It does not test if someone has Covid-19. Further tests are needed.
Look at the main types of test available for Covid-19 in the table below. These were available in the UK in the winter of 2020/21. Try to match the people listed below the table against the type of test that you think they should have. (You might decide that some of them do not need a test.)
The results are less accurate than the PCR test, and if negative, they can go quickly out of date.
Sources: Michael Brooks, New Scientist; NHS; BMJ
It can indicate if a person needs to self-isolate. Results can be given in 30 minutes.
2b. ‘Lateral Flow’ Swab test (taken as above).
2a. ‘PCR’ Swab test (long cotton bud stick inserted up nose and /or into throat).
A student returning home from university
The results may take a few days and, if negative, can go quickly out of date.