Physicians advise if you are experiencing COVID symptoms to assume you have the virus and stay home. It might not be COVID but Dr. Lucio Miele, Chair of the Department of Genetics at LSU Health New Orleans said if you test negative with a home test, you’re not out of the woods just yet.
“Sensitivity is about somewhere between 60 and 70% so they’re going to give you a false negative in a third of the cases. So, if you’re going to use one of those tests retesting may not be a bad idea,” said Miele.
Because you are more likely to get a false negative with a home rapid test, it’s best to test again a few days later. Miele said the PCR test is more accurate, but it takes several days to receive results. He said having both speed and sensitivity is a difficult combination in a test.
“It’s a little bit like saying ok I want the fastest car in the world, but I also want it to be the safest. Well, that’s not possible,” said Miele.
Miele said if you’ve been exposed you should wait five days to be tested. If you have a PCR test that’s negative in that time frame but still have symptoms you might want to be tested for other things like the flu. If you test negative with a rapid test, Miele said you need to test again days later.
“If you’re going to use a home test keep in mind that they’re sensitive but not perfect. They should only be used if you have symptoms and even then, they are right about two-thirds of the time,” said Miele.
The website for free home tests at COVIDtests.gov is now open, it was scheduled to open tomorrow but did so a day early. Initially, you are limited to four tests per household.
Comments