With the BA.2 subvariant of omicron pushing infection rates up, many are reaching for at-home rapid tests. Here's what experts say on how best to use them.
At the same time, rapid at-home antigen tests have become the first choice diagnostic tool for many people who think they might be infected.
That said, rapid tests might take longer to yield a positive result, according to Dr. Celine Gounder, a senior fellow and editor-at-large for public health at Kaiser Health News. “One aspect about omicron [including the BA.2 subvariant] is biologically, it likely is more infective than the other previous variants,” Lam said. “So the test might not even have time to pick it up before it jumps from one person to another person.”
“That serial testing does end up mitigating the drawbacks of at least the accuracy of these types of tests compared to PCR tests.”Some people may find they have symptoms consistent with a COVID-19 infection, but they are still testing negative on rapid tests. If you find yourself in a situation like this, Lam says context is key for determining what to do next.
“This is an important question that the governmental, medical and public health communities are just now scratching the surface of,” Lam said. “In fact, the current BA.2 case numbers may be underestimating the true numbers because a significant number of positive cases are self-detected and unreported.”
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