Dr. Summers recommends PCR tests vs. rapid tests, as COVID-19 cases rise in Western residence
Quick and easy - that’s what usually comes to mind when people think of rapid testing.
According to Dr. Gerald Evans, an infectious disease specialist, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests are good for diagnosing COVID-19 for individuals who are a high-risk contact or are experiencing symptoms. While the antigen rapid tests are often used for fast results, surveillance, and screening purposes.
Results for PCR tests typically come back anywhere between 24 hours to five days depending on a lab’s capacity, while rapid tests provide results within 15 minutes.
While the rapid tests may be helpful in some cases, Evans says they’re not always reliable.
“I can use it in a setting where it’s very unlikely that you have an infection, and if so, a negative test is reliable,” says Dr. Evans. “But once you start having symptoms, that rapid antigen test becomes a little bit less useful because a negative test might be falsely negative.”
Evans recommends people with symptoms book a PCR test, as a negative result from the laboratory will be able to determine that the patient has a different virus or has symptoms from another cause.A sign for the Merlin House residence at Fanshawe College in London, Ont. is seen Monday, Nov. 29, 2021. (Jim Knight / CTV News)“If you have a cough, a sore throat, and a runny nose and you do that rapid antigen test and it’s negative, that’s a problem because you might still have COVID. There’s probably still a 15 per cent chance that you do, so you might think I have a cold but it’s not COVID so I’m not going to worry about whom I’m coming into contact with.”
Western University provides rapid antigen tests for those with an exemption to their vaccination policy. On Saturday, Western University declared an outbreak at the Saugeen-Maitland Hall on campus.
Last week a student at the first-year residence who contracted COVID-19 used a rapid test to help determine their symptoms. According to London’s Acting Medical Officer of Health Dr. Alex Summers, as of Monday, there are eight cases linked to the outbreak at the Saugeen residence.
According to one of the university’s media representatives, all students on floors affected by the outbreak are being tested.
“I think the next few days will be critical for us to fully understand how many cases we will see,” said Summers during an interview with CTV News on Sunday.
As of Monday, Fanshawe College is also experiencing an outbreak including three people at the Merlin House residence.
For the most accurate results when it comes to testing for COVID-19, Summers recommends students and all members of the community visit a testing centre if they develop any related symptoms.
“Don’t just shrug it off as it’s a common cold, get tested and isolate and that’s what we want people to do.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Calgary bridges remain closed due to ongoing police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
Kinew, Poilievre meet at Manitoba legislature, discuss each other's priorities
Premier Wab Kinew and federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre met at the Manitoba legislature Thursday afternoon.
developing A bus plunges off a bridge in South Africa, killing 45 people. 8-year-old child is only survivor
A bus carrying worshippers headed to an Easter festival plunged off a bridge on a mountain pass and burst into flames in South Africa Thursday, killing at least 45 people, authorities said.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.