COVID-19 tests with HealthPartners and Park Nicollet

What it is: A COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test is a molecular test that looks for genetic material related to COVID-19. During the test, your sample goes through a process called amplification that makes it possible to detect even the smallest amount of the coronavirus. It’s the gold standard test due to its high accuracy, and it’s the best and earliest way to tell if someone is infected.

How it’s done: Usually, a swab is inserted into the nose or mouth to get a direct sample of mucus from the nasopharynx, the part of the upper respiratory tract sitting behind the nose and in the throat. Sometimes, PCR tests use a sample of your saliva instead.

How to get tested: In most cases, the quickest way to get your results is to schedule a COVID-19 test at a health care facility. There are at-home tests, but it can take longer to get results because you need to send them in through the mail to get processed.

What it is: The COVID-19 antigen test looks for pieces of protein from the coronavirus. This test is quick and easy, and most provide results in less than 20 minutes. However, antigen tests can be less accurate than PCR tests, so they may not meet testing requirements in some situations.

How it’s done: The testing sample is usually from a nasal or throat swab, but it can sometimes be saliva. After applying the sample to a test strip, a colored line may appear, indicating that COVID-19 proteins were detected. If no COVID-19 proteins are detected, a line will not appear. One catch is that there needs to be a significant amount of the protein for the test to be positive. If you’re at the early stage of the illness or your symptoms are very mild, there may not be a lot of these proteins in your nose. Because of this, it’s possible to get a false negative result, meaning the test says you don’t have COVID-19 when you actually do.

How to get tested: Antigen tests are typically done at home. You can buy self-tests online and in retail stores. Some tests to look for are BinaxNOW, QuickVue, Ellume and Flowflex.

Positive results from at-home antigen tests are highly reliable. However, negative results don’t rule out that you could have an infection. If you get a negative result, you’ll need to take additional tests to make sure you’re not sick. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends repeat testing every 48 hours until you have:

• Two negative tests if you have symptoms
• Three negative tests if you do not have symptoms

Yes, there’s an antibody test (serology) that can be used to see if you previously had COVID-19. This test looks for antibodies made by the immune system in response to COVID-19. The presence of antibodies indicates that your immune system has responded to fight off the illness, meaning you had COVID-19 before.

In most cases, it’s not necessary to know if you’ve had COVID-19. The exception is if a prior infection could affect your future care. So your doctor may recommend this type of test if you have long-haul COVID symptoms or if you need a medical procedure and tested positive for COVID-19 in the past.

No. There are currently no COVID-19 testing requirements for domestic or international travel.