At-home COVID-19 exams assist you to gather your pattern and detect energetic COVID-19 infections.
But what in case you have at-home COVID-19 exams nearing expiration or expired in your shelf?
Matthew Binnicker, Ph.D., director of the Clinical Virology Laboratory at Mayo Clinic, says firms set the unique check dates arbitrarily resulting from these diagnostic at-home exams being developed quickly. So, test your bins earlier than you toss them.
“Now that we are 3 1/2 years into the pandemic, those manufacturers have had the opportunity to go back and assess the test performance over prolonged periods of time. And they’ve updated the expiration dates in many cases,” says Dr. Binnicker.
His first advice in case you have exams at house is to look the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) web site for data on up to date expiration dates.
“If you take a test that is beyond the expiration date, and the test is positive, that’s likely a reliable result, especially if you have a respiratory illness. If you get a negative result from a test that is beyond the expiration date, I’d recommend making sure the test doesn’t have an extended expiration date. And if it’s beyond that, then definitely go out and get another test or go in and have a healthcare provider collect a swab for a lab-based test before you rule out COVID-19,” Dr. Binnicker says.
Can at-home exams detect present strains of COVID-19?
“Yes, they should detect the currently circulating strains of COVID-19. The good news is that most of the changes in the virus with these new variants are in the spike protein, which is the part of the virus that binds to the cells. And the protein these antigen tests are looking for is a different protein where not as many mutations occur. So that allows us to confidently say that these tests should pick up the circulating strains,” says Dr. Binnicker.
Testing optimistic
Are you contagious if you happen to check optimistic for COVID-19? Most possible, says Dr. Binnicker.
“When an at-home antigen test is positive, it means that that person is still shedding or excreting a high amount of viral protein. In most cases, that means that the person is shedding a high amount of virus, and likely a high amount of virus that could be spread from one person to another,” he says.
He says if you happen to get a optimistic at-home antigen check, contemplate your self prone to spreading the virus to others.
Testing unfavorable
Dr. Binnicker says testing at house is really helpful if you happen to expertise COVID-19 signs. If it comes again optimistic, you possible have a COVID-19 an infection. But what in case you have signs and the check comes again unfavorable?
“If your test comes back negative at home, and you still have those typical symptoms of COVID-19 — sore throat, cough, fever, body aches — that’s when I’m recommending that people go in to see their healthcare provider, get a swab collected that can be sent to a lab for a PCR-based test. That will give us the most reliable information on whether you truly have, or don’t have, COVID-19,” says Dr. Binnicker.
When do you have to check for COVID-19?
Dr. Binnicker says there are few cases really helpful for testing.
- If you develop signs comparable to fever, cough, sore throat, runny nostril or physique aches.
- If you’ve hung out with somebody with a confirmed analysis of COVID-19.
- If you intend on visiting an individual at excessive threat of extreme sickness. That contains an individual with most cancers, an older grownup or somebody taking medicines that suppress their immune system.
He says if you happen to’ve been uncovered to the virus, don’t check instantly.
“My recommendation is to wait a few days, don’t go right home and take a test because it won’t have been enough time for the virus to reach levels that will trigger antigen tests to be positive. Typically, wait three days after an exposure and then take a test. If it’s negative, consider taking another test the following day or 48 hours from then; typically, by day five after exposure, you’re likely in the clear if you test negative over that timeframe,” he says.
Temperatures and at-home COVID-19 exams
With the various fluctuating temperatures throughout geographic areas, can these exams be affected by excessive warmth or chilly temperatures? The data packets that include at-home antigen exams ought to provide storage situation data as decided by the FDA. That’s the place studying the wonderful print can assist.
“If you’re in an area that has experienced subzero weather or temperatures well above 100, like many parts of the country have during the summer months, it is always a good idea to check the packet that comes with a test to look for the acceptable storage conditions,” says Dr. Binnicker.
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