What is the difference between Nasal and Saliva COVID-19 antigen rapid test kit?

Introduction

Antigens are fragments of the virus that can produce an immune response in the body. The antigen test could identify the presence of antigens for COVID-19 in nasal and/or throat mucus. If you are infected, the home antigen test will quickly show that result – usually about 15 minutes after applying the sample to the test set.

Nowadays, it is important to get tested if you have symptoms, to prevent possibly spreading it to others. There are various types of tests. Here, we want to discuss two common types of home OTC COVID-19 rapid test kits: 

Nasal and Saliva rapid COVID-19 antigen self-test.

Nasal rapid test

In this type of test, a nasal swab is inserted about 3/5 to 1 of an inch into your nose and swirled around at least 5 times. This may take about 15 seconds. After that, you put the swab in a solution, rotate about 10 seconds, and finally read the result in 10 minutes.

Saliva rapid test

In this type of test, you should place the saliva collector on top, under, or side of the tongue. After 2 minutes push the collector to the base of the test kit. The result will be shown within 15 minutes.

Which one is better? Saliva or Nasal rapid test?

Present researches show that there is no significant difference between nasal and saliva rapid test in the results but people thought that saliva is too easy and some of them complained about the discomfort in nasal after nasal rapid test with swabs.

What is the difference between the Nasal/Saliva rapid test and the PCR test?

The PCR test is the most widely used and reliable test in order to detect the presence of the covid-19 virus. In this type of test, samples should be sent to a laboratory that might take 24 to 48 hours to receive your results. The PCR test has a high test sensitivity but the home antigen test’s advantage is the price, the result within 30 minutes, and lower demands on the expertise of the people. Many airlines and schools are now accepting a negative result from a rapid antigen test.