Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and rapid (antigen) tests for COVID-19 both involve taking a swab. Results for a PCR test take longer, as it needs to go to a laboratory. It is more costly but tends to ...

Editor's note, March 7, 2023: The recommendations in this article are out of date and will not be updated going forward. Should you feel sick, we recommend talking to a health care professional.

At the start of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic people who felt unwell had to join long queues for lab-based PCR tests and then wait for two days to learn if they were infected with the COVID-19 virus or not.

New guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) withdrawing their request for Emergency Use Authorization for a coronavirus test introduced in February 2020 do not mean ...

PCR genetic analysis has been in the spotlight since COVID-19, but light is now further facilitating PCR-free methods. Osaka Metropolitan University scientists have developed a light-induced DNA ...

Northwestern scientists have created the fastest-ever hepatitis C diagnostic, delivering accurate results in only 15 minutes. The test uses the DASH rapid PCR system, originally developed for COVID, ...