Over 178,000 COVID-19 tests have been carried out in Australia and that number is growing rapidly by the day.

The Federal Government has consistently said this testing rate — at approximately 557 tests per 100,000 people — is among the highest in the world.

While the standard testing method is a throat and nasal swab, Health Minister Greg Hunt announced on Tuesday new finger-prick tests will soon be rolled out within GP clinics.

We asked the Department of Health and experts what these new "point-of-care" tests are, and how they differ from the swab tests, which are still in use.

What has the COVID-19 testing method been so far?

The standard COVID-19 tests are called polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, and so far, all of the tests which have been carried out in Australia have been these types of tests.

This test is also sometimes called "molecule photocopying," ACT Australian Medical Association president Antonio Di Dio explained.

"It's kind of like taking a fingerprint of a piece of RNA," he said.

"In the context of COVID-19, you get a piece of the RNA from a swab of the patient, you double it, then again and again. Until you have millions of copies."

A few hours later — you've got a sample that's big enough to see if coronavirus is present.

To collect that sample, a medical practitioner will take swabs from the back of the nose and throat, or fluid from the lungs.

Lower respiratory tract samples may also be taken, in which case you will be asked to rinse your mouth with water and then cough phlegm into a sterile, screw-top container.

These PCR tests aren't going anywhere — Mr Hunt said they remained a "critical component" in our testing toolkit going forward.

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How does the new finger-prick test work?

Mr Hunt confirmed on Wednesday that "point-of-care" or "finger-prick" COVID-19 tests had been approved in the past several days.

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"They will be deployed, which will then allow for greater testing of patients within the general practice setting," he said.

They use a different technique to the PCR tests because they look for antibodies, which are a protein made in your bloodstream to fight infection.

The finger-prick test is much quicker — returning results in as little as 15 minutes.

They're also much cheaper.

However, Dr Di Dio cautioned that they're not as effective and sometimes a PCR test might still be required as well.

"The answer to that will depend on a few things, like will we run out of proper PCR tests?" he said.

"Or, have so many Australians got it that we can't afford to wait?"

People with COVID-19 can experience a sore throat, runny nose, shortness of breath, nasal congestion, aches and pains, or diarrhoea. ( Supplied: Department of Health )

What about other tests?

With the coronavirus outbreak escalating rapidly, many other tests are quickly coming onto the local and international markets.

In recent days, the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration has approved another test for use, called the "Cepheid GeneXpert."

This test can deliver results in as little as 45 minutes, and Dr Di Dio described it as a really exciting development.

"It's PCR in your back pocket, it's so much quicker," he said.

"If we have enough of these, then it will make an enormous, enormous difference."

Dr Di Dio suspected both of the tests would be expensive, but the Department of Health said, at this stage, the pricing was unknown.

And despite both of them delivering fast results, it's also still unknown how long patients themselves will have to wait to find out if they have coronavirus.

As Dr Di Dio points out, the quality of the technology is only as good as the resources you have to man the technology.