| Summary: | Introduction: Rapid testing of patients with suspected COVID-19 disease is critical so that those infected can self-isolate and reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 spreading to the community. Our study aimed to assess the usability of a rapid antigen test kit for the diagnosis of COVID-19 by comparing it with the molecular method.
Materials and Methods: Our study was planned retrospectively between 14 March and 14 August 2022. COVID-19 rapid antigen test and COVID-19 RT qPCR test results of patients who applied to our hospital with complaints compatible with COVID-19 disease during this period were included in the study.
Results: A total of 268 patients were included in the study. According to the PCR test, the sensitivity was 92.6%, the specificity was 96.5%, and the accuracy was 95.1% for the rapid antigen test. Seven (2.6%) samples were identified as positive by the PCR test but negative by the rapid antigen test. The mean Ct value of these samples was detected as 26.38. According to the PCR test, the rapid antigen test positivity rate was 100% for 78 samples with a Ct value of 30.
Conclusion: COVID-19 rapid antigen test kits can be utilized to rapidly detect and isolate symptomatic individuals, particularly during periods when there is a high number of cases. However, the sensitivity of the rapid antigen test is affected by the viral load of the sample. With rapid antigen test kits, there is a possibility of obtaining false negative results in samples with high Ct values or low viral loads. Therefore, we believe it would be beneficial to evaluate symptomatic individuals with negative rapid antigen test results using PCR.
|
|---|