FORT MYERS, Fla. (WBBH) — When it comes to coronavirus testing options, people are subjected to long term or rapid testing where results can vary.
Inside the Millennium Physician Group lab in Fort Myers, a sort of ‘delivery man’ drops off swabs from all over southwest Florida.
After labeling and processing, the swabs are loaded into a large machine to be tested for COVID-19.
“We can process about a thousand in 24 hours,” Dr. Alejandro Perez-Trepichio explained to NBC2.
The large machine is used to conduct PCR tests, also referred to as molecular tests. Dr. Perez-Trepichio said it’s considered top-notch in the world of Coronavirus testing.
“The importance is that it’s very accurate,” he explained. “That’s the gold standard today.”
The downside to PCR testing is that it’s typically done in bulk, and the highly-technical machines that do it are expensive and scarce.
That means it can take time to get results back. It takes about a day or two for Millennium to return results to patients.
Testing sites run by the Florida Department of Health in Collier County also conduct PCR tests. It’s free, but can take even longer: 4-5 days for people to get results back, a spokeswoman told NBC2.
That delay is part of the reason why a different type of Coronavirus test has emerged during the pandemic: an antigen test. It’s also referred to as a rapid test.
Millennium has two antigen test machines at their walk-in center in Fort Myers. They’re tiny when compared to the machine that does PCR testing.
“The clear advantage is how fast it is,” Dr. Perez-Trepichio explained. “In 15 minutes, you have the ability to have a result.”
The problem with antigen tests, he said, is accuracy. They can detect a positive case just fine. But when someone tests negative, it’s a different story.
“20 percent could be a false negative,” Dr. Perez-Trepichio said. “It may not be as reliable.”
At Millennium, doctors will typically back up a negative antigen test with a PCR test, especially if the patient is showing Coronavirus symptoms.
But Dr. Perez-Trepichio worries that not everyone who gets tested elsewhere knows exactly what type of test it is, or if it’s even accurate.
“Yes, I am concerned,” he said. “I don’t think necessarily that many patients go and get these tests knowing (what kind it is).”
Dr. Perez-Trepichio said patients need to ask questions before they get swabbed:
— Do you even need to be taking a test?
— If so, what type are you taking?
— How reliable is the test?
“I think it’s very important for the consumer, the patient, to be well educated as to what they’re getting,” Dr. Perez-Trepichio said. “There is no substitution for having a well-informed patient.”
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August 05, 2020 at 05:50AM
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