| For anyone who's had to wait days or even weeks for the result of a Covid-19 test, the appeal of one that gives an answer in 15 minutes is clear. Antigen tests can do that at a fraction of more common rivals that take a lot of equipment to process. Public-health experts envisioned that antigen tests would identify people infected with the coronavirus as easily as we now diagnose strep throat. But for a long time, the tests simply weren't widely available. Now that several companies are producing them, another concern has emerged: What if they don't work that well in people without symptoms?  A positive test result, top, above a negative result from a Covid-19 rapid antigen test. Photographer: Paul Hanna/Bloomberg New guidance released last week by health officials in Louisiana, an early recipient of antigen tests bought in bulk by the U.S. government, reflects that question. The state is recommending against using antigen tests to screen asymptomatic people who haven't been exposed to a person with Covid-19. The tests are also more likely to produce incorrect results when used in populations where the virus isn't widespread and if improperly performed, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently warned. It's hardly shocking that Covid-19 tests, whether antigen or not, can sometimes produce false positives or negatives. All tests have limitations, and state policies may very well change as strengths and weaknesses become clearer. But these developments should guide how individuals and medical providers think about how to use these tests. And in the big picture, it shows how the vision of rapid tests opening up society—giving quick answers at a school or even the door to a restaurant or concert venue—remain just that: a vision.—Emma Court | 
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