Advantages and Disadvantages of Antigen Rapid Test for Compulsory Travel Requirements

Rancakmedia.com - You need to know that now the antigen rapid test is a mandatory requirement for traveling out of town during the Covid-19 virus pandemic, to find out the advantages and disadvantages of the antigen rapid test, see below.

On December 18, 2020, the government officially stipulated that a rapid antigen test is a mandatory requirement for people who want to go out of town.

This rule was made to anticipate a spike in new cases of Covid-19 during the Christmas and New Year holidays.

What is Rapid Antigen Test

Rapid antigen is a diagnostic test used to detect the presence of viral proteins in samples taken from patients.

This test is done quickly and can give results within 15-30 minutes.

Rapid antigens are typically used to detect viral infections that cause illnesses such as influenza and COVID-19.

Rapid antigen is a type of diagnostic test used to identify viral infections in patients, and has become a mandatory travel requirement in several countries as an effort to prevent the spread of the disease.

Things that Need to be Prepared for an Antigen Rapid Test

Here are some steps you can take to prepare for the rapid antigen test:

1. Make sure you follow all the requirements before the test set by the party providing the test.
2. These requirements may include restrictions on food and drink before the test.
3. Do not consume food or drink for 30 minutes before the rapid antigen test is performed.
4. Make sure you have the necessary documents such as KTP, passport, or travel certificate if a rapid antigen test is required as a condition of travel.
5. Wear a mask and keep your distance from other people at the test site.
6. Prepare yourself mentally and physically, because the rapid antigen test can be a little uncomfortable when the sample is taken from the nose or throat.
7. Don't forget to bring personal equipment such as wet wipes, dry wipes, or hand sanitizer to maintain cleanliness during the rapid antigen test process.

By preparing well before the antigen repeat test, you can ensure that the test results obtained are accurate and avoid sampling errors.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Antigen Rapid Test

Below are the advantages and disadvantages of the antigen rapid test, namely:

Advantages of the antigen rapid test:

Antigen rapid tests can be performed more quickly than PCR. Therefore, the antigen rapid test is a popular choice because the results can be obtained more quickly with almost the same level of confidence as PCR.

However, Aryati reminded that the process of examining the antigen test must be carried out quickly after taking the sample because there is lysys buffer in the tube used for the rapid antigen test.

In addition, the advantage of the rapid antigen test is that it can detect the virus when the patient enters the acute and highly contagious phase. Here are some other advantages of the rapid antigen test:

• Can detect viral components directly, whether it is for detecting the acute phase (early case detection)
• It does not require an incubation period to show a positive result
• Does not require special laboratory specifications for rapid test work
• Does not require special officer skills when conducting a rapid test

Disadvantages of rapid antigen tests are:

• It can only be detected in the acute phase, while the RT-PCR test can still give positive results even in the convalescent phase.
• Using a sample from the upper airway (naso/oropharyngeal swab).
• The skill of officers in taking specimens can affect the accuracy of test results.
• Requires level 3 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for specimen collection.
• Requires special attention to varying sensitivities.
• The validation test is still limited so that the rapid antigen test cannot replace the position of the RT-PCR test.0

Conclusion

Rapid antigen is a diagnostic test used to detect the presence of viral proteins in samples taken from patients.

This is information about the advantages and disadvantages of rapid antigen tests for mandatory travel requirements, I hope the article above can be useful and helpful for all of you.