A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test detects genetic material from a pathogen or abnormal cell sample. Ways of collecting samples include a nasal swab, a saliva swab, or taking a sample of blood.

This decision, well within current norms for care, was nonetheless consequential: The president was forced to cancel a trip to advocate for legislation in support of the domestic semiconductor ...

Finding a COVID-19 test has become a real challenge with the spread of the omicron variant. But there is also confusion over which test people should be getting, which is a PCR or antigen? Stream Los ...

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 ...

The CDC in July announced its intent to withdraw an emergency use request for a protocol for PCR testing for COVID-19. The withdrawal would become effective Dec. 31, 2021. But that was because of the ...

With Omicron surging in the United States, many people are taking COVID-19 tests to see whether they test positive. Most people will take either a rapid antigen or PCR test. Though the PCR test is ...

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test kits for COVID-19 use what’s known as gene cloning – not reproductive cloning – to detect the presence or absence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, but social media posts ...