Here you can find out about the different ways of testing done at this moment as well as their reliability.

  • The tests currently being used in hospitals and other facilities are to see if somebody currently has COVID-19.
    • These are done by taking a swab of the nose or throat, which is sent off to a lab to look for signs of the virus’s genetic material.
  • The other type of test governments & people wants to use is an antibody test. These are done to see if someone has already had the virus.
    • They work by looking for signs of immunity, by using a drop of blood on a device, a bit like a pregnancy test. These tests are yet (April 15th) still very unreliable.

Differences in Coronavirus COVID-19 testing

image from the BBC.