PCR and antigen tests for Sars-CoV-2 are generally reliable, but in some cases may be “false negatives”. How to reduce this risk? Scientists have a lead.
It is essential to carry out a screening test for the coronavirus when you have been in contact with a person infected with Covid-19, or at risk of being, or when you have symptoms of the disease. However, despite their reliability, the test sometimes does not detect the virus when everything seems to indicate contamination. Could the time of screening be involved? It is possible, concludes a scientific study which gives a very precise ideal time to be tested: 13:49.
To see also: Covid self-test: how does it work?
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Indeed, this Nashville University researcher study, in the United States, concluded that the viral load may vary throughout the day. Thus, Sars-Cov-2 would be more easily detectable in the afternoon, when the viral load is higher. “This observation aligns with results obtained previously for other viruses such as influenza, herpes and dengue, where interactions with the immune system lead to diurnal variation in viral shedding and symptoms,” note the authors of the study.
Doctors know that the viral load also changes depending on the time of contamination: it is higher two days before the onset of symptoms of Covid-19 and two days after the onset of these manifestations. However, the discovery of this variation over the course of the day could have important implications in terms of public health and the quality of screening. To take a test, it is also necessary to respect a period which can go up to 7 days if you are in contact without living under the same roof as the infected person, in order to avoid false negatives. Find all of the information on the Health Insurance website.
Mathilde Wattecamps
Missions: Mathilde is an expert in subjects related to women’s rights and health. Addicted to Instagram and Twitter, never stingy with a good …