Mastodawn

my IRL reaction to this news was actually yelling HOLY SHIT in my living room but I figured you didn’t need that as the headline

Jeff Benner Dec 8, 2023

@kissane wow! I have a close friend with a wife and 1yo all infected with covid, not insured earlier this year. I wish I’d known about this then. Thank you for sharing!

@jeffbenner it just happened!

Callisto Dec 8, 2023

@kissane The requirement of a positive test is a big hurdle. Especially for flu, for which there isn't a quick test.

@callisto It’s a barrier, but you wouldn’t want to prescribe something like paxlovid or heavy antivirals without a positive test. (Rapid flu tests are increasingly widespread at doctors’s offices and clinics, and the Lucira at-home tests include rapid flu tests.)

Callisto Dec 8, 2023

@kissane Oh absolutely! I'm talking about the initial barrier to access. If someone with symptoms could use the service to GET a test, *that* would make a difference.

Natalia Antrobus Dec 8, 2023

@kissane good to know. I spent $67 on 4 covid tests at a CVS in Manhattan today.

@Talia I dont even want to think about what my family has spent on tests so far. We got a case in the spring.

@kissane Lucira made covid only at home tests that were equivalent PCR level accuracy and were very easy to use. Sadly when Pfizer acquired Lucira, those tests seem to have been phased out. I am curious as to whether the flu + covid ones will continue to be produced. On my list to contact them again. Hard to get answers.

@PamW The combination molecular (RT-LAMP) tests are the ones being used in the NIH program.

@kissane Right. I know. I don't have confidence in them continuing to be produced.

@PamW Well, Pfizer is marketing the hell out of them, and the NIH contract is a *huge* deal…maybe I’m missing your point, but all the public indications are that they’re going much wider than before.

@kissane I hope you are right. For those not eligible for the program, the expense is prohibitive, and the longest exp date I can find related to the Lucira tests is March, 2024. Maybe a new batch is in production.

Lisa Lorenzin KR4LFE (she/her)Dec 8, 2023

@PamW @kissane We just got a bundle of Metrix tests and a free reader: https://shop.aptitudemedical.com/products/metrix%E2%84%A2-covid-19-test-reader-bundle
Similar accuracy to Lucira / Cue ( https://nitter.net/Clean_Air_Club_/status/1728097278668189713 ) but less expensive - ends up being about 2x the cost of a RAT, per test. And given that we've been serial testing with the RATs, it's a wash...

Metrix™ COVID-19 Test & Reader Bundle

@llorenzin @kissane Thanks i don't know about these. Will look into them

Clarissa C. S. Ryan Dec 9, 2023

@PamW Huh, it looks like consumers can buy Lucira ("by Pfizer") covid + flu tests online now. $40/each on Amazon.

PamelaWaldman Dec 9, 2023

@wintersweet yes thanks I know--but on Amazon there is no information (that I see) relating to expiration date on tests being sold. The furthest out I have encountered so far is March, 2024. Unless Lucira continues to produce the tests (which should have a 12 monthshelf life from point of manufacture), then paying that amount now for a test that expires in March seems prohibitive to me. But that's just me. I am fortunate to be able to greatly limit my exposure, mask and use enovid spray etc.

Clarissa C. S. Ryan Dec 9, 2023

@PamW Oh I see! Yes, that's annoying to say the least.

Dennis1212 Dec 8, 2023

@kissane I still mask, follow the rules and have been vaccinated. I have yet to become infected. Living in Japan, where store clerks still mask, most everyone I see still masks. The outlook is we are family. America’s outlook is less compassionate.

#healthcare #COVID #CovidTest
#Free #pandemic #publichealth

oldguycrusty Dec 8, 2023

@kissane

Wow. This seems sort of amazing. How come I've never heard of this or seen it covered in the news? Thanks for sharing.

Camille Winds Down Dec 8, 2023

@kissane
It also says "If you are *not currently positive* for COVID-19 or Flu (Influenza), you may still enroll if you are an uninsured or underinsured adult (18+), on Medicare, Medicaid, in the VA healthcare system, or receive care from the Indian Health Services. "

krn

Dec 8, 2023

@kissane Did they add the means testing recently? My partner and I have ordered free tests through them before, and (according to my texts from mid-September), the eligibility requirements were only being an adult in the US.

This is frustrating if so because my insurance doesn't cover tests, and my partner is immunocompromised in Florida.. If not, we had somehow skirted the requirements I guess?

Gina Intheburg 🇺🇦 🌻 🥥🌴Dec 9, 2023

@kissane

Official US Dept of Health & Human Services site for Test To Treat program:
https://aspr.hhs.gov/TestToTreat/Pages/default.as

Faster, Easier Access to Life‑Saving COVID‑19 Treatments

In March 2022, the Biden-Harris Administration launched a nationwide Test to Treat initiative, which aims to help people quickly access lifesaving treatments for COVID-19 at little to no cost.

Find Locations:
https://covid-19-test-to-treat-locator-dhhs.hub.arcgis.com/

"While vaccines remain the most effective way

#Health
1

Gina Intheburg 🇺🇦 🌻 🥥🌴Dec 9, 2023

@kissane

to prevent #COVID19 infection, there are also treatments available for people who are infected with the disease. These treatments may help individuals avoid severe illness, hospitalization, and death."

https://aspr.hhs.gov/TestToTreat/Pages/default.aspx