The antigen T region is particularly red. Is it related to the severity of the disease? Expert response →

"Everyone says that the redness of my T-zone is too dark. Could this be related to the severity of the disease? It's quite scary." Ms. Hong, who lives in Beijing, told reporters.

Recently, more and more people infected with the new coronavirus have chosen to share their positive antigen test results in WeChat groups and Moments. However, many netizens have found that for all positive results, the T-zone of the antigen test reagents of some people is dark red, while that of others is just a light red.

After carefully reading the instructions of a certain brand of antigen detection kit (colloidal gold method), the reporter found that in the "Explanation of Test Results" column, it was indeed mentioned that the color of the strip in the detection area (T) can be dark or light, but as long as two red strips appear, one in the quality control area (C) and the other in the detection area (T), then the color of the strip in the detection area (T) is positive regardless of whether it is dark or light.

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So what is the reason why the color of the strip in the test area (T) varies for people who are all antigen-positive? The reporter called a COVID-19 antigen test reagent manufacturer as a consumer, and the company's engineer called back to say that the color of the strip can indeed reflect the viral load in the body, that is, the darker the red of the test area (T), the higher the viral load in the body. Not only that, the engineer also added to the reporter: "Even for the same user, the color of the strip in the test area (T) will often be darker in the early stage of the disease, and will become lighter in the later stage."

As for Ms. Hong's concern that the deep red color of her test area (T) is a sign of a serious illness, Chen Xin, director of the Second Health Department of the China-Japan Friendship Hospital, said there is no need to worry: "The depth of the color of the antigen test is only related to the virus and cannot reflect the condition."

Source: People's Daily Health Client

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