Table 1.

Common features of various testing methods for SARS-COV-2 infection.

Testing type	Time duration (Short or longa)	Suitable population (Large or small)	Accuracy (High or low)
Nucleic acid testing
Quantitative RT-PCR	Long	Large	High
Sequencing for diagnosis	Long	Small	High
Isothermal amplification	Short	Large	High
In situ hybridization	Long	Small	High
Protein testing
Antibody testing	Short	Large	High
Antigen testing	Short	Large	Low

^aShort and long are defined by the duration (usually approximately 3 h) for the RT-PCR assay for nucleotide detection. If the test duration is longer than 3 h, it is defined as “long”; otherwise, it is defined as “short”.