Rapid tests now at 3 local drive-thrus
Accuracy of this check has improved, hospital says, with results in four hours.
Quick testing for COVID-19 is now available at three drive-thru locations in the region, available to children and adults.
As the virus surges in the community, the testing sites operated by Dayton Children’s Hospital are geared toward people in the early days of having symptoms andlookingfor quick results.
Patients who receive the antigen tests, sometimes called rapid tests, get results from the hospital in four hours or less. The quick results canhelpspeed up isolation of contagious individuals and contact tracing, in the hopes of slowing the spread of the virus in the community.
“The need for faster, easier tests is only growing with the pandemic. At the same time, antigen testing has improved tremendously in accuracy over the last few months,” the hospital stated. “While the PCR test will always be the gold standard, the antigen test Dayton Children’s has is right in positive cases 100% of the time and accurate in nega
tive cases 97.5% of the time in symptomatic patients.”
Those results fromthenew version of tests fromBDVeritor aremore accurate than the rapid flflu tests, according to Dayton Children’s.
Melanie Wilson, senior director of medical imaging and lab at Dayton Children’s, said in a statement that youshould consider getting a rapid test one to fifive days after the onset of symptoms. She said the accuracy is nod if ff ff ff ff ff fe rent between children or adult.
“The child may not have as many symptoms, but if they have a viral load it will bedetected. Onecouldargue that because this test is less invasive, children tolerate collection better,” Wilson said.
Dayton Children’s still has the PCR test for COVID-19, as well. Each test has di ff ff ff ff ff ff erentp rosa nd cons.
The PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test is a nose swab that is sent to a labto be analyzed. The lab technique looks for the virus’s genetic material. It isamore sensitive test, whichmeans it can fifind and detect the virus atmore times during an infection. It could take several days — sometimesmore, sometimes less — to get the results, the time frame depends on a particular lab’s capacity and current demand.
The antigen test uses a nasal swab that looks for certain proteins on the virus’ surface. It has very accurate results for positive tests. Past the sixth day of symptoms, the test has a harder time fifinding evidence of the virus.
Dr. Glen Solomon, professor and chairman of internalmedicine and neurology at Wright State University, said with rapid tests, people should be aware that they work best for people with symptomswhowant to knowif theyhave thedisease. They aren’t great for people who feel fifine and want an answer on whether or not they could be unknowingly carrying the virus.
“As we get into the holidayswhen people are getting advice to get tested before family outings… these rapid tests are not very good for that,” Solomon said.
For the antigen test, people can visit Dayton Children’s three drive-thru sites, which are at:
■ 884 Valley St., Dayton, in a tent in between main campus and Child Health Pavilion;
■ 3300 W. Tech Road, Springboro, in the building across the street from the south campus;
■ 865 W. Market St., Troy, in a tent behind the Troy outpatient care center.
See childrensdayton.org/ covidtesting for hours. With a doctor’s order, insurance normally covers the cost though people without a provider order can pay $60 out of-pocket. People who give a cellphone number get a text with results in four hours or less, and the person’s providerwill also get the result if theprovider orderedthetest.
“Testing is an important step in knowing the spread of the virus in our community and containing that spread. We are grateful for DaytonChildren’s andallour region’s hospitals for making testing and rapid results available to our region,” said LisaHenderson, VPof health initiatives at the Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association.