I've been sick these last several days, and at each stage of my illness I've covid-tested using the huge stockpile of tests our community keeps. It would have cost me $50 to buy these tests at Walgreens, but instead I had access to free tests thanks to (drumroll please) community organizing.
Monday I get to go visit Grandma again FINALLY, with this cold or whatever behind me.
Cuz I'm sure as hell not gonna be the one to kill her.
Does anyone have a more up-to-date review of molecular / PCR-style COVID tests? My last research was based on this Lifehacker article: https://lifehacker.com/where-to-find-a-pcr-covid-test-and-why-you-need-one-1850779459
The next-best 3EO COVID-19 Test doesn't seem to exist anymore, their website is down: https://3eohealth.com/products/covid-19-test-kit
The last remaining option seems to be the Metrix covid test, which costs $25/test as opposed to Pluslife's $10/test, and is a bit less accurate. This is not acceptable.
There’s a big difference between the standard at-home antigen test and a molecular (PCR or NAAT) test. Molecular tests are the ones you want when accurate testing is important. Here are four tests you can buy for at-home use.
Important update: Every U.S. household can now order 4 free COVID-19 tests. This resource is available at no cost, with no shipping fees, to help you and your loved ones stay informed and safe. Staying aware of your health status is crucial for protecting yourself and your community.
For more details or to place your order, visit the http://covidtests.gov.
#StaySafe #COVID19 #FreeTests #COVIDTesting #PublicHealth #CovidTests #COVID #InfectionPrevention #LongCOVID
After a week of being told to try again later, I was finally able to submit a request for some free covid tests here:
This site is for US addresses only. Feel free to reply with resources for other countries and I'll boost them!
A practical question which I'm trying to think through:
Supposing you might have been exposed to covid, and you have access to NAAT testing like #Pluslife or #Metrix.
How many days after the possible exposure would you expect to see a positive result if you'd caught it?
From the diagram in this paper, it looks as though for this cohort, a negative test on day 3 would mean you _hadn't_ caught it.
Thoughts welcome!
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanmic/article/PIIS2666-5247(23)00101-5/fulltext
I dunno if anyone will not have heard, but the fancy Cue Health NAAT molecular #Covid test, with the handheld gizmo, has been revealed to be a near fraud. The FDA found that the company implemented non-approved changes to reagent formulations and device firmware post-EUA that will have significantly reduced the test’s accuracy.
In response to the FDA’s letter, the company elected to go out of business.
Don’t use these tests.
At the suggestion of others, I switched to Aptitude's Metrix for NAAT Covid19 testing (Thank you to those who suggested it!!). It's a little more fiddly as far as parts and process, but I'll take that over "false negatives" and "closing down".
https://stillcoviding.ca/en/news/san-diego-covid-19-testmaker-cue-health-is-shutting-down/
#CovidIsNotOver #CovidTesting #Covid #covid19 #CueHealth #Cue
ooh boy... #covid19 #covidtesting #CueHealth
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