Page 9 - Antigen Tests News Today

Here is that for example everyone needs to get a pcr test, because thats the gold standard. where we know that rapid antigen tests are really good at telling you whether youre contagious, whether you can be around other people. we also dont hear a lot of clarity on what masks are important. some may still be wearing a cloth mask, or trying to wear an n95, but unable to because its uncomfortable. the best mask is one you can wear reliably, thats lost in the messaging. i hear a lot of misinformati...

December 17th. i had no symptoms. best to get tested because i was gathering with my family for the holidays. i didnt get the negative result until yesterday. that is of no use to me at this point. essentially nine or ten days later. what were hearing from sam, that is the optimistic point of view and a great 24, 48-hour turn around. waiting ten days for the results i cant imagine what the numbers actually are versus whats reported. >> yeah. testing is the original sin of this pandemic. we are n...

People coming out of isolation five days after they were first diagnosed with the virus. >> reporter: nothing in the guidelines mandates testing for these people. the administration has been harshly criticized for the current shortage of tests, so the lack of testing and new recommendations is also drawing fire, even at top official push back. >> we dont know how our rapid tests perform and how they predict whether youre transmissible at the end of dis disease. >> it is all becoming a muddle at ...

Would have mattered there, jim. i think this has been a months-long process. we have quadrupled the number of tests in the last couple months but we still need hundreds and hundreds of millions more given the demand. and i think we have got a good thing in -- in these tests. but there wont be enough in many places to get us through the most trying time and particularly the holidays. >> and how concerning is it that the fda is now saying these antigen tests, these at-home antigen tests may be les...

Affected by this with delays. were damned if we do and were damned if we dont. the economy is going to suffer and the workforce is going to suffer, more kids are going to get sick. there is absolutely no way to keep omicron out of the schools. no way. its more transmissible, it passes through and looks just like a cold and what were going to be relying on is testing in addition to the standard practices of masking, social distancing and hand hygiene. but the testing that were using, these antige...

If you have symptoms, plan to continue to stay home. these tests are in short supply in many parts of the country. i expect there to be many more available in january. that doesnt help the people that are infected right now. thats why the current recommendation is to leave isolation only if you dont have symptoms and to continue to wear a mask for five more days to lower the risk of infecting people. >> lets talk about the rapid antigen tests. there are people calling for the five-day isolation ...

Theyve already been infectious. thats why a rapid test, these antigen tests, are very specific. theyll only turn positive when you are infectious, which is why they are the better public health tool even if pcr is the better tool for a doctor who may be as interested in asking the question, have you been infected in the last couple weeks or even possibly months? >> okay. thats very interesting to me, but do the at-home rapid tests that youre talking about, do they detect you at the beginning of ...

During the first five days of that period versus the second five days, most of the risk is segregated in those first five days. m and so the risk is very, very low of transmitting, as you get into days 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. and the tests that are used, the antigen tests, dont really have a good predictive value as to whether or not youre transmitting. they have a good value early on to say if youre infected. tanti but 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 days later, whether its positive or negative, we have no studies a...

So its always wise to use, you know, one or more of these things if you want to be doubly certain. that most of them only dramatically reduce the risk and i think what we will probably find here is that, you know, there are periods of time when omicrons infectious at the beginning where the antigen test isnt yet able to pick it up. but i think the recommendation will very likely be that you get two antigen tests in a box. take one on a monday, and then take a second one on a tuesday. and that wa...

Todays six, seven, eight, nine and ten. and the tests that are used. the antigen tests. dont really have a good predictive value as to whether or not you are transmitting. they have a good value early on. to say if you are infected. but saying five, six, seven days later, whether its positive or negative. is not good. because we dont know any studies at all. an original fda approval of the test. was not for the purpose of determining whether multiple days following infection that you are able to...