Can we talk COVID and how it affected you financially, emotionally, physically, etc?

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Just to be clear, that says ONE HALF day, correct? Not 1-2 days. So you're talking about a matter of hours. You could literally test negative in the morning and positive that very same evening.

I know a lot of people that has happened too...it's how so many people we knew had covid around the holidays. They did all this testing at home before their NYE get together. And then got covid from a party where everyone was "negative". But someone had to have been positive right?

[QuarterMillionMan]

[Snydley]

That's right, rapid tests will pretty accurately tell you if you are infectious for a half a day (12 hours?). If these tests were everywhere and super cheap (1 buck or less), as they should be, this would be super useful. For example, you could test your kids every morning right before they go to school if they were exposed to an infected person.

When my husband was briefly exposed to an infected person a few weeks ago, he moved into our in law apartment for 48 hours, then, after he had no symptoms (as symptoms come up quick in boosted people infected with omicron, 1-2 days), he did some rapid testing every 12 hours or so (just two) after he moved back into the house. His exposure, while very close contact and unmasked, was for only about 45 seconds so I was pretty optimistic he wouldn't be infected.

[Snydley]

I know a lot of people that has happened too...it's how so many people we knew had covid around the holidays. They did all this testing at home before their NYE get together. And then got covid from a party where everyone was "negative". But someone had to have been positive right?

If every single person took a rapid test and they were all negative, somebody was infected and infectious and the test didn't pick it up. (?)

[disneysteve]

If every single person took a rapid test and they were all negative, somebody was infected and infectious and the test didn't pick it up. (?)

Exactly. I heard those stories over and over after Christmas and New Years. Everyone got tested before their holiday gatherings. 2-3 days later half the people who attended had COVID. Because rapid tests have a high false negative rate. They’re great if they’re positive. Not so much if they’re negative.

[Snydley]

Exactly. I heard those stories over and over after Christmas and New Years. Everyone got tested before their holiday gatherings. 2-3 days later half the people who attended had COVID. Because rapid tests have a high false negative rate. They’re great if they’re positive. Not so much if they’re negative.

Larger scale studies are showing they work quite well to detect non-infectiousness. 100%, no, but better than 80%, and that would have cut down on a lot of infections IF widely available and inexpensive at the holidays. At Xmas time in the Northeast a lot of people we newly infected and my guess is not every.single.person at said parties were testing right before they gathered. They give quick results, at home, which is a big deal. We should have all been sent 10 of them per household the week before Xmas, and they should have instructions in the box!

[disneysteve]

Larger scale studies are showing they work quite well to detect non-infectiousness. 100%, no, but better than 80%, and that would have cut down on a lot of infections IF widely available and inexpensive at the holidays. At Xmas time in the Northeast a lot of people we newly infected and my guess is not every.single.person at said parties were testing right before they gathered.

No, they were testing before they got on the road. So maybe they tested at 8am before loading up the car and driving all day to Grandma and Grandpa's house where they had dinner and spent the night and then opened gifts and had breakfast the next day before heading home after lunch. So well more than 24 hours after their negative tests. Or they tested before leaving for the airport to fly cross country to spend the holiday with family.

[Snydley]

No, they were testing before they got on the road. So maybe they tested at 8am before loading up the car and driving all day to Grandma and Grandpa's house where they had dinner and spent the night and then opened gifts and had breakfast the next day before heading home after lunch. So well more than 24 hours after their negative tests. Or they tested before leaving for the airport to fly cross country to spend the holiday with family.

They passed that 1/2 day of accuracy then somebody became infectious it sounds like. The problem is the messaging on how tests work, when to use what kind of tests, etc. has been a mess (including from the CDC). I had to look far and wide through the noise on all the new 'science' of omicron to get to some data I trust. Andy Slavitt's podcasts seem to be the best up to date info on the pandemic, and Michael Mina and Eric Topol are my go to people on twitter RE: testing, new science, etc.

[disneysteve]

They passed that 1/2 day of accuracy then somebody became infectious it sounds like. The problem is the messaging on how tests work, when to use what kind of tests, etc. has been a mess (including from the CDC).

Exactly my point. I have yet to hear any mainstream source explain how rapid tests work. People just don't understand that. I'm constantly having to explain to patients why their rapid test was negative but their PCR was positive. Or why they don't need to come get a PCR after they get a positive on the home test.

The impression being sold to people is that a rapid test can tell you that you don't have COVID and you're safe to go out and about, and that simply isn't true.

It causes everyone to question the science. How can there be cases of COVID popping up on every cruise if every passenger and employee is fully vaccinated and tested negative before boarding? They don't understand that a negative test doesn't tell you if you have COVID or not.

I'm really concerned that as COVID home tests become more readily available, it's just going to result in more spread because people will test negative and then go to work or send the kids to school or go visit their parent in the nursing home or whatever.

[QuarterMillionMan]

FYI should anyone try to sell their test kits on eBay it will get cancelled by eBay (I didn't know);


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[mumof2]

The medical community, governments, and media have failed to educate the public about proper use and understanding of rapid tests.

They are extremely accurate and dependable IF you test positive. That means you have COVID. No further testing is needed. You don’t need to go for a PCR. A positive rapid is a positive.

A negative rapid tells you nothing. It doesn’t mean you’re COVID free. It doesn’t mean you’re not contagious. It doesn’t mean it’s safe to go out or be around people or go to a concert or a cruise or a wedding.

Requiring a rapid test to attend an event or board a cruise is almost as much of a waste as taking people’s temperature before they enter.

Over here if you get a positive RAT then you have to report it but still get a PCR test its what the govt says.....they are still so hard to get over here right now...typical our govt has handled the pandemic poorly

[disneysteve]

FYI should anyone try to sell their test kits on eBay it will get cancelled by eBay

What is the policy

Any medical device that requires a prescription can’t be sold on eBay

That's a perfectly good policy, but doesn't explain why they cancelled your listing for rapid test kits. Those don't require a prescription. They are sold over the counter. Anyone can buy them. That's why the government is able to just mail them to everyone.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

This is not offered as a reason for ebay to remove the listing, but just a caution from me: Sometimes medical or lab items need to be kept within a temperature range. It might be that mailing these tests would chill them too far during this time of year. Later, of course, they might get too hot in shipping.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Has anyone gotten the 3 free N95 masks from your local pharmacy.

[disneysteve]

Has anyone gotten the 3 free N95 masks from your local pharmacy.

Haven’t tried. I didn’t really pay attention to any of that. I get mine from work. DW wears kid size KN95s that we get on Amazon.

Whats the deal with the free ones? How often can you get them?