It is commonly acknowledged that people are afraid of Covid-19 viral disease; it is not the viral disease people are afraid of, but the lack of knowledge. Henceforth, this article defines Covid-19 test PCR, its testing procedure, test labs around the Pakistan and the cost amount range for testing the viral disease. This article also presents the types of tests that can be performed to pinpoint Covid-19 viral disease. Therefore, for a short hand guide is presented in this article.
pcr test stands for polymerase chain reaction. A test that searches for genetic information from a given organism, as in a virus, is performed. The test detects the presence of the virus if you have it at the time of the test. Even unless you are no longer infectious, the test may detect virus leftovers. The COVID-19 nasal swab PCR test is a reliable and accurate diagnostic for COVID-19 detection. If you test positive for COVID-19, you have been most probably infected. A negative result means you were not infected with COVID-19 at the time of testing. Get tested if you have COVID-19 symptoms or if you have been exposed to someone who has COVID-19.’
Covid-19 and types of tests
All across the Covid-19 dilemma, the need for trustworthy, affordable disease screening has been more apparent. Antigen – antibody testing is used to examine for various properties of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and both use different sorts of materials. The different forms of Covid-19 testing are investigated by Medical Device Network.’
Types of Covid-19 Tests
In order to diagnose sickness, PCR tests are forward to a laboratory to be evaluated. Although not as precise as PCR testing, lateral flow tests can identify Covid-19 on site. Antibody (or serology) testing doesn’t diagnose a person’s current condition, but it can help determine if they’re resistant to Covid-19.’
PCR Test
Before antibodies develop or symptoms of illness arise, the presence of viral RNA in the human body is confirmed by PCR assays.. Meaning that the tests is capable of detecting whether someone has a virus infection early during their disease. Fake negatives might occur up to 30 percent of the time along with several PCR tests, demonstrating that they are better on affirming the existence of an illness than gives a sick the all-clear.
Lateral Flow Test
Antigen assays such as LFTs and PCR testing are used to identify the present Covid-19 virus instead of antibodies to the sickness. Using a Covid-19 LFT, a nasal sample is placed on a small absorbing pad and drawn down over the capillary line in strip sheathed in antibodies to bind proteins of SARS-CoV-2. A colored line will emerge on the test if these proteins are present, indicating infection.’
The primary advantage of LFTs over PCRs is that they do not require validation and can yield results in as little as 15 to 30 minutes after being performed. In exchange for their increased speed, though, they give up some precision.
Antibody Test
According to a study published in the journal Immunity, patients that recovering from the even minor episodes of Covid-19 develop antibodies in their blood in at least 5 to 7 months, and possibly much longer. Despite the fact that a small amount of virus will be circulating in the blood as opposed to that which will be circulating in the respiratory tract, there will be a considerable and visible antibody presence in the body following infection.
Real time PCR
On the spot, a radioactive approach to detect the occurrence of unique genetic information in any sickness, such as viruses, is known as real time pcr. Initially, radioactive substance indicators were used to identify particular genetic sequences, but with further improvement, isotopic labelling has been replaced by distinct labels, most commonly fluorescent dye. Unlike traditional RT–PCR, which only sends data at the end of the procedure, this method enables scientists to analyse outcomes almost instantly whereas the procedure is still going.’
The Real Time PCR technique is one of the most widely used laboratory techniques for detecting the COVID-19 virus. Real-time RT–PCR has been utilized to diagnose other diseases such as Ebola & Zika in many countries, but these countries still require assistance in adapting this approach to the COVID-19 infection and expanding their national testing capability.
PCR for types of viral diseases
The PCR test is used for a number of viral disease tests, amid them some are (D.U.H.S., 2021):
- Cov-19
- Cov-2
- Chikungunya Virus
- Dengue Virus
- HBV DNA Detection by PCR
- Hepatitis E
- MTB
- Thalassemia, etc.
PCR test Labs in Pakistan
The PCR test labs in Pakistan provincial based are as:
- Federal Islamabad area has 22 labs,
- Punjab has 54,
- Sindh has 38,
- KP has 19,
- Baluchistan has 06,
- Azad Jammu Kashmir has 04,
- Gilgit Baltistan has 03.
PCR test prices in Pakistan
Free tests
Free tests are provided by all the public medical labs, recognized for PCR Covid-19 tests around Pakistan. like The agha khan university hospital is providing free PCR testing and tele screening.
Paid tests
The ‘paid tests of covid-19 range very amid various labs in Pakistan. The SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies unit cost is 1,000pkr while pcr test price in Pakistan generally is 7,000-10,000. At Shifa International Hospitals Ltd costs 6,500pkr as the lowest price.
Some authorized labs for PCR test in Pakistan:
- Agha khan hospital
- Shaukat khanum hospital
- Excel Labs.
- Shifa International hospitals
- Global Clinical Care Diagnostic Centre.
- Temar Diagnostics and many more others
Conclusion
This article explains the details of the types of tests performed for covid-19 as well as the procedure, lab’s locations around the Pakistan and the price range for tests in private labs of Pakistan.
There are numerous private labs in Pakistan while some are public labs for Covid tests. Most population of Pakistan could not afford private labs; hence, it must be pointed out which public labs to visit in Pakistan. Furthermore, this article showed the procedure for testing the viral disease and defined the different types of tests, with the knowledge of which one can have no longer difficulty in visiting the labs and get tested smoothly without any delay.
