Abstract
Background Expansion of the testing capacities for severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2
is an important issue in the face of ever-increasing case load. So, there is need
of point-of-care diagnostic tests in the existing laboratory capacities for early
treatment, isolation, and clinical decision making, especially in resource limited
settings.
Materials and Methods This prospective cohort study was conducted at Jai Prakash Narayan Apex Trauma Center,
All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. Nasopharyngeal samples and blood
samples were collected for antigen and antibody testing. Rapid antigen test was performed
as per the kit's instructions. The performance of the kit was compared with the gold
standard reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing.
Results Eighty-eight out of 110 patients tested positive by RT-PCR for coronavirus disease
2019 in last 48 to 72 hours were included in the study. Overall, the sensitivity of
combined antibody test was 52%, antigen test 26%, and combined sensitivity of both
antigen and antibody was 72.7%, respectively.
Conclusion The combo kit needs to be used with caution in low prevalence settings, where cases
may be missed.
Keywords
antigen test - antibody test - point-of-care test
