In addition to new running shoes, masks and hand sanitizer for her three kids, ages 4, 7 and 9, Toronto mom Mandy Hergott* bought some rapid antigen test kits as part of her back-to-school shopping. “It won?t replace the proper lab test but in anticipation of testing centres being less available, for my own peace of mind I wanted to have them at the ready,” says Hergott. 
As families navigate this stage of the pandemic, where kids under 12 aren?t vaccinated?and some of the adults around them aren’t either?some parents are picking up at-home COVID-19 tests, which come with questions of their own. Are they worth the cost" How accurate are they" Why can I get free tests at my workplace and not at my kid?s public school" And why is this process STILL so haphazard" Here?s what you need to know about COVID-19 rapid tests. What?s a rapid antigen test"
A rapid antigen test is a screening tool. It can identify the presence of specific SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) protein markers in your body, which indicate an infection. You can use the test at home and the results are ready in about 15 to 30 minutes?the sample does not need to be sent to a lab. They work  best when you have high levels of the virus (which may or not result in symptoms).
In contrast, the ?gold standard? for COVID-19 testing is the PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test, which detects genetic material from the SARS CoV-2 virus. That?s the test where a techni...