Molecular tests are far superior to rapid antigen tests—and now you can get them for home use. Amanda Blum is a freelancer who writes about smart home technology, gardening, and food preservation.

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and rapid (antigen) tests for COVID-19 both involve taking a swab. Results for a PCR test take longer, as it needs to go to a laboratory. It is more costly but tends to ...

We’ve been asked by readers whether a Covid-19 test can return a positive result if the person tested only has the common cold rather than Covid-19. This is based on the fact that the common cold can ...

Each week, we answer frequently asked questions about life during the coronavirus crisis. If you have a question you'd like us to consider for a future post, email us at [email protected] with the ...

For Rachel Robles, getting diagnosed with Long COVID was an uphill battle. She caught the virus in March 2020, when nearly nothing was known about its long-term effects and testing was inaccessible ...

Early in the pandemic, the message from governments of all levels was crystal clear: If you have symptoms, get a PCR test. While that still largely holds true, rules about who should get tested and ...

Kary B Mullis invented the PCR test that’s being used as the Covid-19 test. He died suddenly in August 2019. Our verdict He did invent PCR, which is a process used to test whether someone currently ...

A PCR test is often considered the gold standard for detecting coronavirus infection. It’s the test some employers want employees to take before returning to work after having Covid-19, and the one ...