What does the "diagnostic window" mean?

After an infection, the body needs a certain amount of time to react to the pathogen, for example by forming antibodies or by virus replication in the blood. The pathogen or the reaction to it can only be measured after a certain period of time. Before this period, a test can be falsely negative, although there could be a possible infection.

If you test too early, a negative result can be deceptive. You think you are healthy, even though your body has not yet produced enough "evidence" for the test.

The time windows for testing are as follows: