Tests: Guidance on At-home covid tests and omicron

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Fri, 2021-12-24 10:53 — mike kraft

At-home covid tests and omicron: What you need to know At-home coronavirus tests are becoming scarce amid the omicron surge. Here's where to look, and what to do if you can’t find one. Washington Post

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Here’s what else you need to know about home tests — how they work, where to get them and when to take them. The information and recommendations in this FAQ are drawn from the Food and Drug Administration, previously published Washington Post reports and new interviews with experts.

Please keep in mind that as the pandemic evolves, information about testing options is likely to change.

What to know

What kind of tests are in at-home kits?
Does an at-home test detect omicron?
Where can I find a test?
How much do at-home tests cost, and can I get them free?
What should I do if I can’t find an at-home test?
When should I test myself?
Should I take more than one test?
How accurate are at-home tests?
What should I do after getting my test result?
What about tests for children?
The FDA has given emergency use authorization to nearly a dozen over-the-counter, self-collected rapid antigen testing kits, such as the Abbott BinaxNow and Quidel QuickVue tests. These tests look for protein pieces of the virus to detect infection and can provide results in 10 to 15 minutes.

Polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, tests — a type of molecular coronavirus test — also look for components of the virus, in this case RNA. But, unlike rapid antigen tests, most require a laboratory setting and can take up to several days to return a result. (Antigen and PCR tests differ from antibody tests, which look for immune responses to infection or vaccination. Those tests can tell you whether you’ve had the coronavirus at some point, but experts say they are not useful for identifying active infections.) PCR tests are, however, widely considered more reliable than antigen tests. ...