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 ...

COLLINSVILLE, Ill. — When you take a COVID-19 test, the studying actually happens at labs like Biovision Diagnostics in Collinsville. The process starts when the specimens are collected offsite and ...

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test detects genetic material from a pathogen or abnormal cell sample. Ways of collecting samples include a nasal swab, a saliva swab, or taking a sample of blood.

“Infectious diseases don’t respect borders,” says Khoa Thai, a clinical microbiologist at the Star-shl medical diagnostics laboratory in the Netherlands. To limit their spread, we need a globally ...