Taking molecular testing to the front Molecular point-of-care testing for COVID-19 offers healthcare workers rapid results in more settings where people show up for care. Molecular testing technologies help detect the presence of a virus by identifying a small section of the virusâ genome, then amplifying that portion until thereâs enough for detection. This process can cut testing wait time from hours, if not days, to as little as five minutes for positive results and 13 minutes for negative results.