Researchers often call the polymerase chain reaction test – known as the PCR test – "the gold standard" for detecting the COVID-19 virus. The test is considered highly reliable and effective, and it ...

Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. If you had COVID-19 symptoms in 2020, you probably would have masked up and braved a visit to a laboratory, doctor’s office, or ...

In a study involving nearly 1,000 patients seen at a Baltimore field hospital during a five-month period in 2022, researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine, the University of Maryland School of Medicine, ...

Whether you’re already feeling sick or want to prepare for the cold season, here’s what you should know about buying a COVID test — at-home or PCR. COVID-19 cases have been on the rise (though still ...

The COVID-19 pandemic brought the term "Polymerase Chain Reaction testing" into the mainstream. The PCR method is a type of ...

Over the past four years, many of us have become accustomed to a swab up the nose to test for COVID-19, using at-home rapid antigen tests or the more accurate clinic-provided PCR tests with a longer ...

Molecular testing, or molecular diagnostics, refers to a group of tests that look at the genetic material in a specimen. It can detect genetic risk factors for certain diseases or provide evidence of ...