Most FDA-authorized at-home OTC COVID-19 tests are antigen tests. What Your At-Home OTC COVID-19 Test Result Means Consider testing before coming into contact with someone who has a high risk for severe COVID-19 people who are older adults or immunocompromised, or have other medical conditions, especially if you are in an area with a medium or high COVID-19 Community Level.If you are in certain high-risk settings, you may need to test as part of a screening testing program.If you test too early, you may have an inaccurate result. If you were exposed to someone who has COVID-19 and you do not have symptoms, wait at least 5 full days after your exposure before testing.If you have symptoms, test immediately and then test again per the instructions if your first result is negative.Understanding COVID-19 Infection and the Risk of Spreading the Virus.Step-by-Step Guide: When to Test and What Your At-Home COVID-19 Antigen Test Results Mean.What At-home COVID-19 Antigen Tests Do Not Tell You.What Your At-Home OTC COVID-19 Test Result Means.This means people who receive a negative test result should use multiple tests over a certain period, testing at least twice over three days if they have symptoms and at least three times over five days if they do not have symptoms. Currently, all at-home COVID-19 antigen tests that are FDA-authorized are authorized for repeat testing, also called serial testing. This is especially true early in an infection or in people who do not have COVID-19 symptoms. At-home COVID-19 antigen tests are less likely to detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus than molecular tests, such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests and other nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs), which detect genetic material called RNA from the virus. Public health authorities in every province and territory have developed their own approaches for testing people based on the local context.įor information about COVID-19 testing in your area, contact your local public health authority.At-home over-the-counter (OTC) COVID-19 antigen tests, often referred to as rapid tests, detect proteins called antigens from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. In this case, your health care provider may re-test you. ![]() Other factors may cause a physician to order another test or even diagnose COVID-19 despite a negative result, such as:Ī positive test means that you have COVID-19 and you must follow the direction of your local health authority. It’s important to understand that health care professionals consider a number of factors in making a COVID-19 diagnosis. ![]() This would be considered a ‘false negative’ test. If this is the case at the time of the test, your test may come back negative, even if you actually have the virus. If you're tested too soon after you were exposed to COVID-19, there may not be enough virus in your body for an accurate result. ![]() However, the accuracy of a test can vary depending on when your sample is taken during the course of your illness. Negative testĪ negative test usually means you don't have COVID-19. If there’s an issue, we will act quickly and keep you informed. ![]() We are working with other regulators and manufacturers of COVID-19 test devices to assess the impact of variants. We currently have no evidence that variants affect the ability of diagnostic tests approved by Health Canada to confirm COVID-19 cases. They can also avoid unnecessary self-isolation and anxiety if they receive a ‘false positive’ result (getting a positive result when you don’t have the virus). The accuracy and reliability of COVID-19 diagnostic tests is important to inform diagnosis and to ensure Canadians can make the right decisions about their health.Īccurate results mean that Canadians can take preventative measures to protect loved ones and others if they test positive. Get more information on our Authorized COVID-19 testing devices page. If you take a sample in a different way, your test result may be invalid. The instructions are written specifically for that particular type of kit. Always follow the instructions contained in your test kit or provided by your local health authority.
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