COVID-19 testing facts for kids

COVID-19 testing helps us find the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This is the virus that causes COVID-19. There are two main types of tests. One type looks for the virus itself. The other type looks for special proteins called antibodies. Your body makes these antibodies when it fights off an infection.

Testing is important because it helps us understand how many people have been infected. It also helps us see how the virus is spreading. In early 2020, it was hard to get enough tests. This meant that many countries did not have full information about the virus.

How Do Tests Work?

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  Taking a sample from the nose for a COVID‑19 test.

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  Taking a sample from the throat for a COVID‑19 test.

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  A machine used to find the virus's genetic material.

To find the virus, doctors or nurses usually take a sample from your nose or throat. They use a long, thin swab, which is like a cotton bud. This sample is then sent to a lab. In the lab, scientists look for parts of the virus.

To find antibodies, doctors usually take a small sample of your blood. Antibodies show that your body has fought the virus before. They can tell us if you had COVID-19 in the past.

When Are Tests Most Useful?

The amount of virus in a person's nose or throat changes over time. It is usually highest when someone first gets sick. After about nine days, it becomes harder to find the live virus.

As the virus amount goes down, the body starts making antibodies. So, tests that look for the virus are best early in the illness. Tests that look for antibodies are better later on, after a person has recovered. This helps us know if someone was infected even if they didn't get tested when they were sick.

Scientists have found that the virus usually does not spread through urine or feces. This means there is a very low risk of getting infected from these sources.

Approved Tests Around the World

The WHO is a global health group. They help countries around the world. The WHO approved some special tests for COVID-19. These tests could then be given to countries that needed them. This helped more people get tested during the pandemic.

How Accurate Were the Tests?

In the early days of the pandemic, there were some challenges with test accuracy. For example, in March 2020, China reported that some of their test kits were not always correct. In the United States, the first test kits made by the CDC also had some problems. Even the Czech Republic found that many test kits they bought from China gave wrong results.

This showed that making accurate tests for a new virus can be difficult. Scientists worked hard to improve the tests over time.

New Discoveries in Testing

Scientists are always working to make tests better and faster. For example, a group of scientists from Hokkaido University developed a quick antibody test. It could find antibodies for avian flu in just 20 minutes. They believed their test could be changed to find SARS-CoV-2 antibodies just as quickly. This kind of research helps us prepare for future health challenges.

Images for kids

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  How COVID-19 is diagnosed over time.

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  A COVID-19 rapid antigen test kit. The person taking the test needs to provide a timer.

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  Mucus from the nose or throat is mixed with a liquid and placed on a rapid test device.

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  COVID-19 rapid testing happening in Rwanda.

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  A Randox PCR home test kit in the UK. It shows the swab and packaging to send it to the lab.

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  A temporary drive-through testing site for COVID-19 set up in a parking lot.

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  US President Donald Trump shows a COVID-19 testing kit from Abbott Laboratories in March 2020.

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  Nucleic acid testing using an Abbott Laboratories ID Now device.

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  How often SARS-CoV-2 was found by nasal swab over six weeks in people with mild to moderate illness.

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  A point-of-care test in Peru. A blood drop is collected with a pipette.

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  Blood from the pipette is placed onto a COVID-19 rapid diagnostic test device.

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  This rapid test shows reactions for IgG and IgM antibodies.

See also

In Spanish: Pruebas de COVID-19 para niños