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Podcast: Mayo Clinic Talks
Episode: Mayo Clinic Q&A: COVID-19 testing scenarios — what test and when?
Description: This episode is shared from Mayo Clinic Q&A and was recorded in January 2022
Guest: Matthew J. Binnicker, Ph.D. (@DrMattBinnicker)
Host: Halena M. Gazelka, M.D. (@hmgazelkamd)
Testing for COVID-19 is a part of the strategy to end the pandemic. But understanding testing — different types of tests and how and when to use them — can be confusing. Lab-run polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, tests and at-home antigen tests each have a role.
"PCR tests are really sensitive, meaning we can detect really low levels of the virus in a sample," explai...