The PCR stands for a polymerase chain reaction. It looks for genetic information from a particular organism, like a virus. If you’ve had a disease at the time of the trial, the test will identify its existence. Even if you’re no longer sick, the screening may reveal particles of the virus that are still present within the body.
Using effective and reliable tests means that you can be more confident about going about your day to day life. Knowing the full extent of your current covid status will also help to keep you safe and protect others around you. Edinburgh is one of a number of cities across the UK which is offering rapid PCR testing.
What Is The PCR Test In Edinburgh Used For?
The COVID-19 PCR Testing service in Edinburgh is helping to keep travellers safe with accurate and up to date test results. PCR tests are used by medical experts as well as a large number of health based companies because of its effectiveness when detecting viruses.
Small quantities of RNA from samples are amplified into deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), duplicated until SARS-CoV-2 is recognisable. Since its approval in February 2020, the PCR test has become the gold standard for detecting COVID-19. It’s accurate and trustworthy.
Main methods of diagnosing COVID-19 PCR diagnostic consists of three steps:
Sample collection: A swab is used to gather respiratory particles discovered in your nose by a medical expert. A swab is a long, flexible stick with a soft tip that is used to clean the nasal passages.
Nasal swabs, which gather a sample directly within your nose, and tonsil swabs, which capture a piece further in the nasal cavity, are two kinds of nose swabs. Collecting samples for the COVID-19 PCR test may be done with any kind of swab. The swab is wrapped in a tube and shipped to a laboratory after collection.
Extraction: When a research professional obtains a specimen, he or she isolates (extracts) genetic code from the remaining contents of the sample.
PCR: The PCR stage is subsequently completed with the help of various compounds and proteins and PCR equipment known as a thermal cycler. The specific genetic code in the test tube grows (amplifies) with each heating and cooling cycle.
After several rounds, the test tube contains millions of copies of a tiny piece of the SARS-CoV-2 virus’s genetic information. If SARS-CoV-2 is present in the sample, one of the compounds in the tube produces a bright light. The PCR device can recognise this signal after it has been expanded enough. Experts identify the signal as a positive test result using specific software.
Importance of PCR Testing Across The UK
COVID-19 is a highly transmissible and dangerous virus which has begun sweeping across the world in recent years. COVID-19 is hard to diagnose since it has many indications with other viruses. However, PCR is one approach to screen for it. This testing method in conjunction with other health protection measures is helping to isolate and reduce the spread of the virus across Scotland as well as other parts of the UK and world.
A PCR test is among the most frequent procedures for analysing genetic information from an organism, and it may be utilised in a range of situations. The test is particularly successful because high heat causes a virus’s or bacteria’s DNA to break down, and the protein that causes this breakdown may be recognised. This test works by heating tiny volumes of liquid carrying viruses or bacteria until enzymes that break down DNA are triggered; this is key to obtaining accurate samples for the tests being carried out.
The Benefits For Travel To And From Scotland
Having an effective private PCR testing service in place in Edinburgh means that PCR testing is crucial to ensure that health and wellbeing is protected and maintained across the country and further afield. This kind of testing service helps to ensure that people are protected and stay shielded from covid 19 and its effects.
It is hoped that as the pandemic progresses, testing and isolation will contribute to playing a key role in combating the spread of the virus as well as the threat that it poses to the wider population across the world.