At-Home COVID-19 Tests Might Be The Answer To Protecting Your Family During The Holidays

Have you heard about those new at-home COVID-19 tests that tell you within minutes if you are coronavirus contagious?

We are definitely living in a different world than we were just two years ago.

Used to, the only at-home test we had to worry about taking was a pregnancy test, AMIRITE?!?

Back in the olden days — way back in 2019 — we would all gather together for the holidays without fear of getting much more than the pesky flu or a miserable head cold that would keep us out of commission for a few days.

Now, we have to worry about getting knocked down by the coronavirus — or even more dangerous — the Delta variant that is on the rampage across the country.

The more we can do to prevent the spread of the virus, the better.

We have already touted the need for everyone to get vaccinated — you are probably sick of hearing it at this point.

Sure, the vaccine doesn’t totally prevent people from getting the virus, but it definitely cuts down on both the length and the severity of symptoms.

Masks are, of course, also important to keep you from possibly spreading the coronavirus to other people.

But, one more level of protection against the spread of COVID-19 is the at-home coronavirus test.

Experts agree that, even though this test might have some downfalls, it is still a good idea to implement before everyone sits down for that Thanksgiving meal.

Downfalls you say? What downfalls might this at-home coronavirus bring to the table?

Well, for one, it is difficult to find. AND, if you are able to find one, you might not like the price. They can run between $18 and $160 (on Amazon).

There’s also the problem that the at-home coronavirus test is usually less accurate than the tests given by CVS or your doctor’s office.

Despite its limitations, rapid testing for COVID-19 is a strategy worth considering for holiday gatherings or group activities during which exposure to the virus is possible.
Dr. Robert Shmerling, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston

The tests will let you know if you have some of that annoying coronavirus hanging out in your nose. The goal is to tell you if you are contagious for the coronavirus.

How? It picks up higher levels of the coronavirus in your nasal passage. A positive test result might mean that a person is more contagious, and should stay away from the rest of the family at Thanksgiving dinner.

(At-home tests) do have higher rates of false negatives than the more accurate PCR tests, which are more sensitive and catch lower levels of coronavirus in people, Shmerling said. Still, “a negative result suggests there’s too little virus to infect others, at least at the time of the test.”
Dr. Robert Shmerling, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston

By the way, this test checks for currently present coronavirus germs. The closer you test to getting together, the better. Like, you should test THE MORNING you are going to meet for Thanksgiving dinner.

An even better idea would be to test everyone as they walk in the door. It will only take a few minutes, and it may prevent the family from spreading the virus.