It looks like it's [87%-71% accurate](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34851137/) depending on whether or not you are presenting symptoms or not.
The PCR tests are [around 97% accurate](https://www.healthline.com/health/how-accurate-are-rapid-covid-tests#other-types-of-tests)
The free tests don’t include this information. They include one test. The purchased tests from your pharmacy include 2 and say take 36 hours apart. Signed- someone with a sick kid and has gone through a lot of tests this week.
The free ones I picked up on Saturday from the fire training academy and today from the other drive through pickups around town do contain this info. There are 2 tests in each box, and the last step on the instruction booklet says to "obtain a second test within 3 days with at least 36 hours between tests"
The antigen tests are the same whether they're free or not. I have the Binaxnow tests, but the intention is for me to use them to be pretty sure I'm not asymptomatically positive before visiting family. If was symptomatic, I would definitely take a PCR test in lieu of or in addition to an antigen test.
But in reality, if I started exhibiting any type of UR symptoms, my course of action is the same- stay TF away from everyone.
Hmm interesting, I didn’t see that anywhere in the instructions. We bought this Binax test earlier this year (it wasn’t expired yet) so maybe they have since updated their guidance.
It was on the back side of the main instruction page.
I was upset to find it. The box says "results in 15 minutes", but it's really "results in 36 hours and 15 minutes".
Ive gone through seven Binax home tests from three different locations and none of them even had an instruction booklet. Just QR codes and URLs to get to the instructions online (and a test proctor). I didn’t realize there were others.
> I took an at-home Binax test on my first day of symptoms—it read negative. I got a PCR test at CVS the next day and it came back positive.
PCR tests are more accurate... but a lot can change in 24 hours as well.
https://twitter.com/BQuilty/status/1471392764004913152
Oh absolutely. The point of my post is to try and help people avoid the mistake I almost made—thinking “cool I’m negative, it must just be a cold” and going on with daily life.
I think the risk we run with having rapid tests at home is that some people may take them at the first indication of exposure, breathe a sigh of relief when they are negative, and never bother to retest. Versus when you have to schedule a PCR test, you’re probably taking it at least one day after exposure/symptoms, increasing the amount of viral load present when you take the test.
I’m not trying to write off rapid tests all together, just suggesting they be used with caution.
You should have taken a Binax at the same time as the PCR. That would be a good additional piece of data. Chances are it would show positive but we'll never know...
Hope you feel better soon
PSA: Binax tests being provided for free through the library are mostly expired. Don't bother downloading the app or making a Procter appointment on the website. They'll just tell you to discard the test. Their process serves no purpose and they're just trying to sell home kits thru the website. Just open the box and take the test. YouTube has video instructions it none are provided. Don't waste your time and data on Abbott's bullshit like I did unless you absolutely must.
Another anecdote to add: my partner got tested (PCR) right after I found out I was positive. That one came back negative. But then he started having symptoms and re-tested and was positive. I guess the moral of the story is test often especially if you have symptoms because it’s all about the right timing.
The binax tests are optimized for specificity -- especially if you're having possible COVID symptoms, they more or less never deliver false positives. While their negative predictive value hinges on prior prevalence, it could be more likely that your PCR test was a false negative (their sensitivity is like 98%) than the binax was giving you a false positive.
Currently COVID positive.
Symptomatic and exposed. Took Binax rapid test on Wednesday evening, mine was negative and my partners was positive. Both took PCR test Thursday - positive. Took 2nd of Binax test on Saturday after being positive just to see, still said negative.
There is a chart at this link that illustrates why you may get a negative even if you already have symptoms. (top green line) https://twitter.com/michaelmina\_lab/status/1472024457640394756?fbclid=IwAR0R81S8OpKyYe7nIUUol4AXCYRs0oIwn1baVntsvOswcoDWNsTZCyjfYxk
My son caught COVID from me. Was tested on the day I was positive just to know if he had it. Came back negative and he had no symptoms. Two days later he had a sore throat tested and it was negative. Waited 36 hrs later and tested again which came back positive. My provider said his viral load wasn’t strong enough to test. Couldn’t imagine doing 3 PCRs on him just to get the same results.
I think the main takeaway is, don’t take one test and assume you are fine if it’s negative. Follow up testing, especially in the case of symptoms or clear exposure, is important.
Question re: your recent COVID, what symptoms did you have? I'm curious to hear anecdotally what vaccinated people's symptoms have been like with recent (presumably omicron) breakthrough infections.
I think I had delta, I got sick earlier this month. It started with a sore throat, then I woke up feeling absolutely awful—muscle aches, headache, and chills, I couldn’t get warm. After a day of that, it settled into a pretty normal cold—stuffed up nose and coughing. Then I lost my taste and smell, although that came back within about 3 days.
Interesting, thanks for sharing. I had some sort of mystery illness earlier this month, it was a week of scratchy sore throat, dry cough with slightly sore/burning chest, and light fatigue. Never had fever, body aches, congestion, or loss of smell. It almost felt like the first day of a cold, but never turned into a full blown cold. I tested negative with a home test around day 4 of it, so I assume it was some other random virus.
I had the same thing last month. Started with a sore throat Tuesday and I had pretty bad sinus congestion for the next 7ish days. No fever. I tested negative with an at-home test Thursday and negative with a PCR test Friday.
My partner started with sore throat and had the cough for ~5 days
Hi, I just got clear of Covid last week! Fully immunized but had not had the booster yet. I don’t know which strain I had.
I had a lot of congestion and head pressure, an extremely clogged nose and some coughing. I never had a fever at all but had hot and cold chills extremely bad and massive fatigue. Two days of feeling unable to get out of bed at all, after that like a really bad cold. About four days in I lost my smell and taste but it came back exactly a week later. Also burning sinuses the whole time, like I had snorted chlorine.
It was the worst sick I’ve ever had, outside of strep throat, but I never felt like I needed to go to the ER or anything. I generally never have sinus or head pressure issues, so that was all new to me.
Very mild. Two days of feeling like I had to clear my throat and then woke up on day 3 with a fever of 99. Took Ibuprofen and it went away and never can’t back. Otherwise mild cold symptoms. I’ve actually had worse colds. My most annoying symptom was one day of a super runny nose and congestion. Lost smell the day I felt better but it came back after 4 days and I could taste the whole time.
IDK how much I would trust those either. My MIL took one and was positive, went and had to get an official test for work purposes the next day and was negative.
Maybe that's why the Binax test tells you to take the test twice at least 36 hours apart?
It looks like it's [87%-71% accurate](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34851137/) depending on whether or not you are presenting symptoms or not. The PCR tests are [around 97% accurate](https://www.healthline.com/health/how-accurate-are-rapid-covid-tests#other-types-of-tests)
The free tests don’t include this information. They include one test. The purchased tests from your pharmacy include 2 and say take 36 hours apart. Signed- someone with a sick kid and has gone through a lot of tests this week.
The free ones I picked up on Saturday from the fire training academy and today from the other drive through pickups around town do contain this info. There are 2 tests in each box, and the last step on the instruction booklet says to "obtain a second test within 3 days with at least 36 hours between tests"
Wow the free ones aren’t as good or reliable as the ones that aren’t free? Interesting and surprising.
The antigen tests are the same whether they're free or not. I have the Binaxnow tests, but the intention is for me to use them to be pretty sure I'm not asymptomatically positive before visiting family. If was symptomatic, I would definitely take a PCR test in lieu of or in addition to an antigen test. But in reality, if I started exhibiting any type of UR symptoms, my course of action is the same- stay TF away from everyone.
It’s been a money grab since the beginning and these people are just eating it up…
Hmm interesting, I didn’t see that anywhere in the instructions. We bought this Binax test earlier this year (it wasn’t expired yet) so maybe they have since updated their guidance.
It was on the back side of the main instruction page. I was upset to find it. The box says "results in 15 minutes", but it's really "results in 36 hours and 15 minutes".
Ive gone through seven Binax home tests from three different locations and none of them even had an instruction booklet. Just QR codes and URLs to get to the instructions online (and a test proctor). I didn’t realize there were others.
> I took an at-home Binax test on my first day of symptoms—it read negative. I got a PCR test at CVS the next day and it came back positive. PCR tests are more accurate... but a lot can change in 24 hours as well. https://twitter.com/BQuilty/status/1471392764004913152
Oh absolutely. The point of my post is to try and help people avoid the mistake I almost made—thinking “cool I’m negative, it must just be a cold” and going on with daily life. I think the risk we run with having rapid tests at home is that some people may take them at the first indication of exposure, breathe a sigh of relief when they are negative, and never bother to retest. Versus when you have to schedule a PCR test, you’re probably taking it at least one day after exposure/symptoms, increasing the amount of viral load present when you take the test. I’m not trying to write off rapid tests all together, just suggesting they be used with caution.
You should have taken a Binax at the same time as the PCR. That would be a good additional piece of data. Chances are it would show positive but we'll never know... Hope you feel better soon
I have friends who were PCR positive but could never pop on an antigen test.
PSA: Binax tests being provided for free through the library are mostly expired. Don't bother downloading the app or making a Procter appointment on the website. They'll just tell you to discard the test. Their process serves no purpose and they're just trying to sell home kits thru the website. Just open the box and take the test. YouTube has video instructions it none are provided. Don't waste your time and data on Abbott's bullshit like I did unless you absolutely must.
PSA: all Columbus libraries are now out of the at-home tests and they do not expect any more in this week. Source: calling the main library number.
Another anecdote to add: my partner got tested (PCR) right after I found out I was positive. That one came back negative. But then he started having symptoms and re-tested and was positive. I guess the moral of the story is test often especially if you have symptoms because it’s all about the right timing.
I took 5 pregnancy tests. All were negative but I knew something was off. Bingo; 6th. Test, 9 months later a healthy boy joined our planet.
[удалено]
The binax tests are optimized for specificity -- especially if you're having possible COVID symptoms, they more or less never deliver false positives. While their negative predictive value hinges on prior prevalence, it could be more likely that your PCR test was a false negative (their sensitivity is like 98%) than the binax was giving you a false positive.
Currently COVID positive. Symptomatic and exposed. Took Binax rapid test on Wednesday evening, mine was negative and my partners was positive. Both took PCR test Thursday - positive. Took 2nd of Binax test on Saturday after being positive just to see, still said negative.
There is a chart at this link that illustrates why you may get a negative even if you already have symptoms. (top green line) https://twitter.com/michaelmina\_lab/status/1472024457640394756?fbclid=IwAR0R81S8OpKyYe7nIUUol4AXCYRs0oIwn1baVntsvOswcoDWNsTZCyjfYxk
My son caught COVID from me. Was tested on the day I was positive just to know if he had it. Came back negative and he had no symptoms. Two days later he had a sore throat tested and it was negative. Waited 36 hrs later and tested again which came back positive. My provider said his viral load wasn’t strong enough to test. Couldn’t imagine doing 3 PCRs on him just to get the same results.
I think the main takeaway is, don’t take one test and assume you are fine if it’s negative. Follow up testing, especially in the case of symptoms or clear exposure, is important.
Question re: your recent COVID, what symptoms did you have? I'm curious to hear anecdotally what vaccinated people's symptoms have been like with recent (presumably omicron) breakthrough infections.
I think I had delta, I got sick earlier this month. It started with a sore throat, then I woke up feeling absolutely awful—muscle aches, headache, and chills, I couldn’t get warm. After a day of that, it settled into a pretty normal cold—stuffed up nose and coughing. Then I lost my taste and smell, although that came back within about 3 days.
Interesting, thanks for sharing. I had some sort of mystery illness earlier this month, it was a week of scratchy sore throat, dry cough with slightly sore/burning chest, and light fatigue. Never had fever, body aches, congestion, or loss of smell. It almost felt like the first day of a cold, but never turned into a full blown cold. I tested negative with a home test around day 4 of it, so I assume it was some other random virus.
I had the same thing last month. Started with a sore throat Tuesday and I had pretty bad sinus congestion for the next 7ish days. No fever. I tested negative with an at-home test Thursday and negative with a PCR test Friday. My partner started with sore throat and had the cough for ~5 days
Hi, I just got clear of Covid last week! Fully immunized but had not had the booster yet. I don’t know which strain I had. I had a lot of congestion and head pressure, an extremely clogged nose and some coughing. I never had a fever at all but had hot and cold chills extremely bad and massive fatigue. Two days of feeling unable to get out of bed at all, after that like a really bad cold. About four days in I lost my smell and taste but it came back exactly a week later. Also burning sinuses the whole time, like I had snorted chlorine. It was the worst sick I’ve ever had, outside of strep throat, but I never felt like I needed to go to the ER or anything. I generally never have sinus or head pressure issues, so that was all new to me.
“Fully immunized” 🤡 🌎
Very mild. Two days of feeling like I had to clear my throat and then woke up on day 3 with a fever of 99. Took Ibuprofen and it went away and never can’t back. Otherwise mild cold symptoms. I’ve actually had worse colds. My most annoying symptom was one day of a super runny nose and congestion. Lost smell the day I felt better but it came back after 4 days and I could taste the whole time.
IDK how much I would trust those either. My MIL took one and was positive, went and had to get an official test for work purposes the next day and was negative.
Did it help you feel better about your cold ?