Which test is best for COVID-19? - Harvard Health Blog

So much about testing for COVID-19 is confusing--from the types and number of tests available to incomplete information and changing options. Understanding the current choices can help you make an informed decision about how to proceed if you want to be tested.

This article lays out all of the different testing options for COVID-19, and how they work. Diagnostic tests are used to determine whether you are currently infected, and there are two types of tests; molecular and antigen. Antibody tests, on the other hand, are used to determine past infection. Due to the ever-changing nature of testing, we don’t yet have precise measures of accuracy for these tests. As of now, we need better tests and better access to them.