One stripe on ATK test doesn’t mean you are not infected, expert warns
People who use an antigen test kit (ATK) and see one stripe appear as a result may have already been infected with Covid-19, but the virus count is still low, therefore they should get a test again in 2-3 days, Dr Anan Jongkaewwattana strongly advised on Tuesday.
In a Facebook post, Anan, who is the director of the National Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology’s Veterinary Health Innovation and Management Research Group, said that after getting vaccinated the body responds to Covid-19 more quickly, resulting in the ATK being unable to detect the virus and showing a negative result, or one stripe.
“To confirm the result, people should get tested again in 2-3 days. There are many reports of people seeing two stripes in a follow-up test after one in the first test,” he said.
Those who tested negative via ATK for the first time may have a low virus count, but they can still spread Covid to others, Anan added. Therefore, they should remain in self-isolation until the result is confirmed in a follow-up test.
“This also applies to symptoms. Once infected, fully vaccinated people have symptoms such as a cough and fever for a short period and then get better,” he pointed out.
“This does not mean they are free of the virus. They could still spread it to others. It is highly recommended to take an ATK test again a few days after you get better from these symptoms,” he advised.
