Table 1.

The comparison of selective molecular and non-molecular techniques for the detection of COVID-19.

Sr		Molecular Test		Anti-body Test		Antigen Test
		RT-PCR	RT-LAMP	ELISA	IgG/IgM Lateral Flow Assay
1	What it detects:	Viral RNA	Viral RNA	Antibody	Antibody	Viral Antigens (Specific proteins on the surface of virus)
2	Sample taken from:	Nasopharyngeal Swab, sputum, saliva, stool	Same as RT-PCR	Blood	Human serum, plasma, or whole blood	Nasal or throat swab
3	Performed in:	Lab	Lab or Point-of-care	Lab	Point-of-care	Lab
4	Time Required:	3–4 h	Variable (35 min–3 h)	1–3 h	10–20 min	15 min
5	Specificity:	High	High	High (after at least 14 days of active infection)	High (after at least 14 days of active infection)	Moderate
6	Sensitivity:	High	High	High (after at least 14 days of active infection)	High (after at least 14 days of active infection)	Moderate
7	What it tells	Active coronavirus infection	Active coronavirus infection	Past coronavirus infection	Past coronavirus infection	Active coronavirus infection
8	Pros:	Commonly used; gold standard	Rapid Results can be detected by naked eye	Simple and cheap	Simple; cheap; fast; visual inspection possible	Positive results are usually highly accurate
9	Cons:	Requires bulky, expensive, and specialized equipment to analyze the results The time needed to complete the test is high; trained personnel is required	The design of primers can be complex; more chances of primer-to-primer interaction Qualitative test (challenging to quantify the results, i.e., the level of viral infection)	Not well established; it can take from days to several weeks to develop antibodies enough to be detected	Does not show active coronavirus infection Needs a PCR validation	A higher chance of missing an active infection (less sensitive than molecular tests); negative results may need to be confirmed via a molecular test
10	Cost	High	Moderate	Low	Low	Low