TRAVEL AND CORONAVIRUS TESTING

For those who must travel, or those who are itching to do so, airlines and airports are increasingly offering ways to get tested for the coronavirus ahead of a trip. Taking a test can assure you and others that you aren’t spreading the virus from one place to another.

In recent weeks, some destinations, like Hawaii, New York, Washington, D. C., and some Caribbean countries, began allowing people who have tested negative for the virus and can show test results to skip mandatory 14- day quarantines, a process that some view as risky because it is possible that people can take a test, receive a negative result and then contract the virus later.

1. Are all coronavirus tests the same?

No. There are two categories of coronavirus tests: virus tests, which help determine if you have the coronavirus, and antibody tests, which detect if you have an immune response because of past exposure to the virus.

If you want to find out if you currently have the coronavirus, you should plan on taking a virus test like a polymerase chain reaction test. PCR tests are considered the gold standard because of their accuracy and reliability. PCR tests require a swab in the nose or the back of the throat. Some tests use saliva. The test is highly sensitive and looks for the virus’s genetic material.

An antigen test detects the presence of a specific viral antigen or bits of coronavirus proteins, implying current viral infection. A sample is collected by nasal swabbing, with hopes that there are some virus proteins in the sample.

You’ve probably heard of antibody tests, too, but those aren’t what you need in order to travel. An antibody test checks for antibodies, which may tell you if you had a past infection with the virus that causes COVID- 19.