People across the South East are making crucial mistakes when it comes to doing antigen tests, if the advice of an A&E doctor is to be believed.
Doctor Nathan Hudson-Peacock, an emergency medicine physician and expedition doctor from London, has said that people are regularly making six crucial mistakes when it comes to taking antigen tests.
With community transmission at record levels in the South East, it's vital we avoid these six pitfalls in order to get an accurate test result.
Failing To Spot Positives
Always come back to check your antigen test result after 30 minutes. Some tests take longer than others to display a positive result, while a lower viral load can take longer to display in the result window.
The 30 Minute Rule
Don't drink or eat food for at least 30 minutes before your test. Some substances, such as fizzy drinks, are known to create false positives.
Blow Your Nose Beforehand
This will allow the swab to take an accurate, clean sample of proteins on the surface of the virus if present.
Wash Your Hands
Swab or solution contact with dirty hands can create false positives.
Not Reading The Instruction Leaflet
According to Doctor Hudson-Peacock, not reading the leaflet instructions is a key mistake - one that most of us make. All tests have their own quirks, meaning the procedure for a certain brand may not be the same for another.
Failing to Swab Your Throat
This leads us to our final point. While some tests require a nose swab only, others now require both a nose and throat swab. Once again, this can produce a false negative result.
