Among the laboratory testing methods developed for identifying patients with infection due to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) — the agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) — viral RNA amplification using real-time PCR (RT-PCR) is to date the standard method in many clinical virology laboratories [1]. However, RT-PCR-based assays are labour intensive and, when not completely automated, take hours to yield results. Conversely, rapid antigen detection assays—intrinsically less laborious and requiring a few minutes to results—have the potential to satisfy the pressing demand for an early SARS-CoV-2 infection diagnosis.
