Molecular Testing for COVID - A Community Information Resource

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1	Molecular Testing for COVID - A Community Information Resource
2	This is not medical advice. Please use this information at your own risk. No test is perfect. A negative test does not guarantee safety. My information below is not perfect but I’ll try to keep it up-to-date as I learn new information. Layers of protection are important to avoid infection. ~Mark Dixon markedixon@gmail.com
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4	Category	Metrix	Pluslife	Details
5	Authorized for emergency use by FDA under an EUA	YES	NO	Metrix: https://www.fda.gov/media/162403/download
6	Readers available to ship now? (as of 10/14/24)	YES	YES
7	Test at home	YES	YES
8	Much more sensitive than rapid antigen tests	YES	YES
9	Nasal Swab-Based Test	YES	YES
10	Saliva-Based Test	YES	NO
11	Sensitivity	97% (nose) 90% (saliva)	98.91%*	Metrix: https://support.aptitudemedical.com/hc/en-us/articles/8966675586063-How-accurate-is-Metrix . Pluslife: https://altruan.com/products/pluslife-sars-cov-2-pcr-test-kits-10-tests . *Information at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10650960/ has slightly different Pluslife sensitivity at 98.3%.
12	Specificity	99%	100%*	Metrix: https://support.aptitudemedical.com/hc/en-us/articles/8966675586063-How-accurate-is-Metrix . Pluslife: https://altruan.com/products/pluslife-sars-cov-2-pcr-test-kits-10-tests . *Information at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10650960/ has slightly different Pluslife sensitivity at 99.3%.
13	Cost for reader (approximate)	$50	$313	Promo code can reduce cost of PlusLife. Read the FAQ to learn information about discounts: https://virus.sucks/pluslife_en/
14	Cost for test	$25	$8
15	Free shipping	Free on orders > $49	NO
16	Time to complete test	30 minutes	35 minutes	Pluslife: 7mins for positive result,35 mins for negative result per: https://www.pluslife.com/productinfo/1207328.html
17	Unofficial app can be used to track testing result progress	NO	YES	Pluslife Analyzer (unofficial): https://virus.sucks/pluslife_app/ . I have had trouble getting this to work.
18	Test kits come with one swab per test	YES	YES	You only need to order separate swabs for Pluslife and Metrix if you want to pool multiple tests in one.
19	Swabs available for individual purchase	NO	YES
20	Can run off battery via USB-C connection (not included)	YES	YES
21	Free replacements for invalid test results	YES	NO
22	Detection Limit	667 viral copies/mL	400 viral copies/mL	Metrix: https://www.fda.gov/media/162403/download Pluslife: https://www.pluslife.com/productinfo/1207328.html
23	Expiration dates	Often over 1 year	Often over 1 year
24	Unofficial pooling option	2 swabs	up to 4 swabs	Pooling is not recommended by manufacturers but some people do it, using up to 2 tests at once in Metrix and 4 swabs sequentually in Pluslife.
25	Mark's ease of use rating (10 is easiest)	6/10	5/10
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27	References:	Link to Source:
28	Metrix FDA document	https://www.fda.gov/media/162403/download
29	Unofficial Pluslife FAQ (EN) (very informative!)	https://virus.sucks/pluslife_en/
30	Comparison of the diagnostic accuracy of the Pluslife Mini Dock RHAM technology with Abbott ID Now and Cepheid GenXpert: A retrospective evaluation study	https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-64406-9
31	Rapid, point-of-care antigen and molecular-based tests for diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection	https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33760236/
32	Test Sensitivity vs. Specificity --> "A highly sensitive test means that there are few false negative results, and thus fewer cases of disease are missed. The specificity of a test is its ability to designate an individual who does not have a disease as negative. A highly specific test means that there are few false positive results."	https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/chronic/discreen.htm#:~:text=A%20highly%20sensitive%20test%20means,are%20few%20false%20positive%20results.
33	What is a molecular test?	https://covid19testingtoolkit.centerforhealthsecurity.org/basics/types-of-covid-19-tests/diagnostic-tests/molecular-tests
34	Sensitivity vs. Specificity. Per Wikipedia: Sensitivity (true positive rate) is the probability of a positive test result, conditioned on the individual truly being positive. Specificity (true negative rate) is the probability of a negative test result, conditioned on the individual truly being negative.	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensitivity_and_specificity
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