Some scientists have said that Omicron can be transmitted when it has infected the throat and saliva, before the virus has reached the nose, so swabbing the nostrils early in the infection will not detect it.
A recent small study in the United States backed that idea. PCR tests of the saliva of 29 people infected with Omicron detected the virus an average of three days before the nose samples were positive in the antigen tests, or the lateral flow calls.
In general, rapid tests have a lower sensitivity than laboratory-processed PCR tests, which means they produce more false negatives.
But if the result is positive, it is almost certainly COVID-19, making antigen testing a powerful tool in dealing with the pandemic, at a time when the demand for PCR tests due to Ómicron overwhelms the labs.
As a result of recent studies, some Experts in the United States have now advised that users of antigen testing swab the throat before swabbing the nose.
All antigen tests licensed for emergency use by the US Food and Drug Administration use nasal swabs, and the US Food and Drug Administration has raised concerns about the safety of throat swabbing at home, saying that users should follow the instructions of the US Food and Drug Administration. The manufacturers.