The latest on COVID and in-home test kits
Winter is here. That means that respiratory viruses are on the rise. It’s well-established that these viruses typically increase in the fall and winter in our area. This seasonal pattern applies to viruses like the flu, RSV and COVID-19, with peak activity occurring between December and February.
Yes, COVID is still around.
Health officials emphasize that COVID-19 remains a serious health concern, especially for those with pre-existing conditions or older folks. While the pandemic emergency status was lifted more than two years ago, the virus is still actively circulating and caution and prevention remains important.
“People aren’t quite as concerned about COVID these days,” said pharmacist Taylor Duell at Dougherty Pharmacy in Hamilton. Recommendations from New York State Department of Health have shifted toward managing COVID-19 as a prevalent respiratory illness alongside the flu and RSV, but it has not disappeared.
COVID can cause hospitalizations and deaths. The NYS Department of Health strongly recommends staying up to date on the latest COVID-19 vaccinations, which are available to everyone aged 6 months and older, as they significantly lower the risk of severe outcomes. Testing and effective treatments are also widely available.
At-home tests have become a primary tool in managing the spread of COVID-19. They work by detecting specific proteins, called antigens, from the virus, providing results in about 15 minutes without needing a lab. These are also known as rapid antigen tests. The test involves swabbing your nose or throat to collect a sample which is mixed with a solution, then dropped onto a test strip.
If you have the virus, it will react with the chemicals on the test strip, causing a visible line to appear. Because this is a rapid test, you can get the results in about 15 minutes, without the need to send the sample to a lab.
The testing is important to find out if you have COVID-19 so that you can get treatment, if needed, as well as to stay away from people to help reduce the spread of the virus.
“These test kits are very convenient, much easier to use than in the past,” said Duell. “And the price is cheap!”
When to consider using one? According to the CDC online, there is a wide range of COVID symptoms ranging from mild to severe. Symptoms may change with new COVID-19 variants and can vary depending on vaccination status.
Possible symptoms include fever or chills, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, nausea, diarrhea.
If you have any of these symptoms, consider testing.
“Don’t test if you don’t have symptoms,” cautioned Duell. “Even if you came into contact with someone who’s been diagnosed with the disease, you don’t need to test unless you have symptoms. If you do have symptoms, test immediately.”
If you do have symptoms, though Duell recommends the at-home COVID-19 tests as they are convenient, with rapid results and a reasonable price tag, he adds a caution about the reliability of the test results. They’re not perfect.
“If you get a positive result, letting you know you have COVID, it’s probably accurate,” said Duell. “False positive has a low percentage of inaccuracy. If you test positive, I suggest you retest later in the day, to confirm. Usually, the kits come in a two pack.”
If you get a positive result, the test is likely accurate.
However, if you get a negative result, but you are sick, you may still have COVID.
“False negatives have a higher degree of inaccuracy,” said Duell.
If you are infected with COVID, the test may not pick up evidence of the virus; this is known as a false negative result. Do not assume that the at-home test is accurate if you feel sick.
That’s why Duell and other medical experts urge people to be cautious about the tests. The at-home COVID-19 tests are not as accurate as the more reliable nasal swab tests you can get at your health care provider’s office. The samples from these tests need to be analyzed in labs. That takes several hours and up to a couple of days, depending on how busy the labs are.
If you test positive and you don’t have severe symptoms, isolate yourself at home, stay hydrated and use over-the-counter medications if you need them. You are most contagious in the one to two days before symptoms appear and the first few days after. The duration of contagiousness varies with the severity of your illness.
If you catch your infection early, call your health care provider who may prescribe medication to shorten the duration of your illness. If you are older, immunocompromised, pregnant or in another high-risk group and you get a positive test result on an at-home test, contact your health care provider right away.