Australians are being urged to register their positive rapid antigen tests with authorities. Photo: Getty
Health authorities are urging Australians to use rapid antigen tests this holiday season, as Omicron cases surge and traditional COVID testing clinics become overburdened.
There are 15 different rapid antigen tests approved for sale in Australia (excluding South Australia and Western Australia), but the accuracy and cost vary between products.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration assesses rapid antigen tests on their clinical sensitivity, which is the percentage of positive test results from a group of known COVID patients who have already tested positive with PCR tests.
The worst-performing rapid antigen test sold in Australia was found to return positive results for 82.5 per cent of known cases.
But many rapid antigen tests are almost as accurate as PCR tests, with their clinical sensitivity sitting above 97 or 98 per cent.
“But that increases to 99.9 – and sometimes higher – if you test consecutively over a few days,” UNSW epidemiologist Professor Mary-Louise McLaws told The New Daily.
Different rapid antigen tests work in different ways. Some require a nose or throat swab, while others test a saliva sample.
Other factors to take into consideration include cost, as well as quantity – some test kits can only be bought individually, while others come in packs of five, seven or even 20.
Although rapid antigen tests are selling out at supermarkets and pharmacies across the east coast, and the best rapid antigen test is the one you can get soonest, there’s still an opportunity to shop around when purchasing rapid antigen tests online.
Here’s how they all stack up, in order of most to least sensitive.
Photo: Supplied
Photo: Supplied
Photo: Supplied
Photo: Supplied
Photo: Supplied
Photo: Supplied
Photo: Supplied
Photo: Supplied
Photo: Supplied
Photo: Supplied
Photo: Supplied
Photo: Supplied
Photo: Supplied
Photo: Supplied
Photo: Supplied