Episode 20: What does the evidence tell us about COVID-19 rapid antigen tests?

The use of antigen tests has been publicly debated since the beginning of the pandemic. But what is the latest official advise for their use in Australia?

In this episode in our series on COVID-19 the virus, variants and vaccines we are chatting with Professor Deborah Williamson, Clinical Microbiologist, Deputy Director of the Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory at the Doherty Institute and Director of The Royal Melbourne Hospital’s Department of Microbiology.

Deborah has played a major role in Victoria’s Innovative Testing Program, a partnership between the Victorian Government Department of Health and the Doherty Institute. Her team performed the first pilot study of rapid antigen tests in a low prevalence settings across three Melbourne hospitals last year, looking at the sensitivity and specificity of the tests.