A
rapid antigen test (
RAT), sometimes called a
rapid antigen detection test (
RADT),
antigen rapid test (
ART), or
loosely just a
rapid test, is a rapid diagnostic test suitable for point-of-care testing that directly detects the presence or absence of an antigen. Such tests are a type of lateral flow test that detect antigens, distinguishing them from other medical tests that detect antibodies or nucleic acid, of either laboratory or point-of-care types. Rapid tests generally give a result in 5 to 30 minutes, require minimal training or infrastructure, and have significant cost advantages. Rapid antigen tests for the detection of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, have been commonly used during the COVID-19 pandemic.