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How do you get the best at home COVID test results?

You might have heard online debate about whether you should swab your throat or your nose for the most accurate at-home test results.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — At home COVID test are flying off the shelves since Omicron made its way to the U.S. becoming the dominant variant.

“These at home test provide you with a more rapid result if it is truly positive and it comes back positive and also you are in your home in the privacy in your own home to do these test," said infectious disease specialist, Dr. Mohammed Reza. 

Now folks are trying to find ways to get the best and accurate results from an at home COVID test.

There’s been many discussions on social media about if swabbing your throat is better than swabbing your nose.

“That would make sense to have a test that would come back sooner or positive sooner if the infection is in that part of your mouth versus the nasal passage," said Reza. 

 Reza says that data is still not confirmed.

After a study was done by the University of Cape Town in South Africa. Dr. Reza says there’s some truth to getting better results when you take the test orally.

“They looked at about 382 people and this was PCR test and they found that people that were infected with omicron 100% test came back true positive versus if it was done nasal a lower number came back positive," said Reza. 

Dr. Michael Koren, the CEO of the Jacksonville Center for Clinical research says if you are concerned that the nasal swab may not be good. There is a solution.

“To do a throat swab first and then also do the nasal swab. Keep in mind that it’s important that the nasal swab is done because all the accuracy of the testing through the FDA has been through nasal swabs," said Dr. Koren.

 

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