Jonathan Kamens 86 47Jan 13
Our stock of rapid #COVID tests¹ is finally nearly used up, time to replenish.
We considered the #Altruan #PlusLife reader and tests, but it's sufficiently expensive that I don't think it's justifiable unless you need to run tests extremely frequently.²
Furthermore, it turns out that you can order bulk rapid tests from https://altruan.com/ that, even with the cost of shipping to the U.S., cost *less than $2 per test*.³ This is what we ended up deciding to do. Check it out!
#CovidIsNotOver
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Show threadJonathan Kamens 86 47Jan 13
¹We got free tests from three sources: (1) we ordered as many as we could when the insurance companies were still paying for them; (2) we took advantage of the U.S. govt. program sending our free tests every time it was offered; (3) my wife's school was giving away tests like candy for a while.
All three sources of free tests have dried up and are unlikely to return. We're on our own.
Show threadJonathan Kamens 86 47Jan 13
²The PlusLife test is much more accurate than rapid tests, so if your priority is knowing as soon as possible whether you have COVID, it may be worth the money for you. Having said that, if you test negative on a rapid test you're probably not currently contagious and won't be for at least a day, and if you can get the rapid tests inexpensively as noted in my post, it's cheaper to test five days in a row with a rapid test than to test once with PlusLife.
Show threadJonathan Kamens 86 47Jan 13
³Furthermore, the Altruan site also has inexpensive COVID / Flu A / Flu B / RSV combo tests. They're about twice as expensive as the bulk COVID tests, but that's still a great deal! My wife and I ended up ordering 25 COVID tests and 33 combo tests for a total of $109 including shipping.
By the way, it is obscene that rapid COVID and combo tests in Europe cost a small fraction of what they cost in the United States.
Show threadfritzoidsJan 13

@jik

the combo-tests by Fluorecare (which Altruan sells) are pretty good. They detected my covid infection at the end of 2023 before I had respiratory symptoms (only symptom at the time was an elevated pulse).

Show threadOzzie D, NP-hard  

@fritzoids @jik I told my spouse about these Fluorecare combo tests, and we decided to start a group order on #Altruan, opening it up to friends. We set a cap of 1000 tests ... which we hit two hours after she posted about it last night.   

#CovidIsNotOver #InfluenzaIsEverywhere
#RSVisAround

Feb 2 at 5:56amWeb
Show threadHuskifyFeb 2
@ozdreaming @fritzoids @jik Word of caution. It's only one paper and a small number of patients tested (178), but here is a study that concluded Fluorecare multiplex test did not perform well to rule out SARS-CoV2 and RSV. "the Fluorecare® combo antigenic does not reach WHO's minimum performance requirement of 80% sensitivity for SARS-CoV-2 in our study population." Looks like Fluorecare test for SARS-CoV2 alone though performed better than the multiplex test. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1386653223000410?via%3Dihub
Show threadfritzoidsFeb 2

@huskify @ozdreaming @jik

Oh, absolutely. RAT sensitivity generally drops off at CT 25-30. If someone is symptomatic I'd regard them as having *something* and act accordingly.

Comparative sensitivity evaluation for 122 CE-marked rapid diagnostic tests for SARS-CoV-2 antigen, Germany, September 2020 to April 2021

https://www.eurosurveillance.org/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2021.26.44.2100441#html_fulltext

Eurosurveillance | Comparative sensitivity evaluation for 122 CE-marked rapid diagnostic tests for SARS-CoV-2 antigen, Germany, September 2020 to April 2021

Introduction Numerous CE-marked SARS-CoV-2 antigen rapid diagnostic tests (Ag RDT) are offered in Europe, several of them with unconfirmed quality claims. Aim We performed an independent head-to-head evaluation of the sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2 Ag RDT offered in Germany. Methods We addressed the sensitivity of 122 Ag RDT in direct comparison using a common evaluation panel comprised of 50 specimens. Minimum sensitivity of 75% for panel specimens with a PCR quantification cycle (Cq) ≤ 25 was used to identify Ag RDT eligible for reimbursement in the German healthcare system. Results The sensitivity of different SARS-CoV-2 Ag RDT varied over a wide range. The sensitivity limit of 75% for panel members with Cq ≤ 25 was met by 96 of the 122 tests evaluated; 26 tests exhibited lower sensitivity, few of which failed completely. Some RDT exhibited high sensitivity, e.g. 97.5 % for Cq < 30. Conclusions This comparative evaluation succeeded in distinguishing less sensitive from better performing Ag RDT. Most of the evaluated Ag RDT appeared to be suitable for fast identification of acute infections associated with high viral loads. Market access of SARS-CoV-2 Ag RDT should be based on minimal requirements for sensitivity and specificity.