Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), currently the gold standard for detecting COVID-19, can more specifically identify the viral nucleic acid (viral genetic material) of the COVID-19 virus with a rate sensitivity of 99.9% and specificity of 100%.
However, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin cautioned that the public should not rely on RT-PCR for Novel coronavirus testing as Malaysia enters the transition phase of the local epidemic from 1 April.
Instead, the public should use the Rapid Antigen Test Kit (RTK-Antigen) to get tested for Covid-19 directly after showing any symptoms.
Recently, the antigen rapid test kits (RTK-Antigen) sold in the market in our country are priced as low as RM5, and the public can easily test by themselves and get the results within 20 minutes.
On the other hand, according to the recommendation of Health Director-General Tan Sri Noor Hisham, once contact with a confirmed patient, rapid antigen testing (RTK-Ag) can be used from the 3rd to 7th day to identify the infection.
It is understood that if people diagnosed with the coronary disease generally use RTK testing on the first or second day of symptoms, they are likely to get negative results.
Even those diagnosed with COVID-19 who test for RTK on the third day of symptom onset have a 50% chance of getting a negative result. Between the fourth and seventh days, it was 80 to 90 percent accurate.
Generally, the viral load on day 3 is not high enough to be detected by the RTK. Once the patient was diagnosed on the fifth day, he/she was encouraged to quarantine.
