What is the latest on at home test vs PCR for Covid results accuracy?

[JustMe]

As I mentioned, ds best friend from school has Covid...they were with each other most of the day for multiple days at school. They were masked the whole time..according to ds...I am thinking there may have been some outdoor time when they were not, although I dont know that for sure. According to my school district this is not a close contact b/c kids had masks on inside (dont get me started). Anyway, we were lucky in that we were able to take advantage of school's testing that happens once a week with him doing the test at home on Tuesday. So, we are waiting for results, but I would think it was done too early to catch a posiitive based on timing. I am thinking he needs to be re-tested on Sunday and if positive we should probably all test at that point. I have one binax test and it looks like I can pick up some Flowflex tests near me. I also may be able to sign up up to get PCR tests..right now no available appts, but they may add more for Sunday...so, what do we think the differences in accuracy may be? Thanks!

[mikala]

This post has some great info on when rapids and PCRs seem to be most effective at detecting Omicron. https://yourlocalepidemiologist.subs...eal-world-data

[AnnieW625]

Fwiw: DH tested positive via rapid test and PCR (done at the same time at a local Covid Clinic) four full days after he started having symptoms (but honestly he thought he just had a cold and aches and pains….he had no other classic Covid symptoms….the insurance verification quiz even thought he just had a cold or flu and not Covid) and he only tested because our friend we had seen on the previous Saturday had tested positive. DH’s symptoms appeared out of nowhere much like a common cold; he was fine on Saturday but by Sunday morning he wasn’t feeling so great. He did a rapid and a PCR test on Wednesday. The rapid was positive in an hour and the PCR test results came in the following Monday were also positive. I tested as well on the same day as DH and was having no symptoms and both my rapid and PCR were negative. My dad (who was a close contact with DH again on Tuesday (day before DH tested) and my kids tested via PCR on Thursday and Friday and all three were negative. I tested by rapid again on 1/12 because I had to go to work and was negative again. There was a chance I thought that by that point I could’ve been an asymptomatic positive via rapid but I was not. If I were the OP I would test again in a few days but unless symptoms are really present would be surprised if he didn’t test negative. I would use the Binax test on your son. I think the other brand of tests were the ones I had read about giving false positives.


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[JustMe]

Mikala, great article! Thanks for sharing!

There was a chance I thought that by that point I could’ve been an asymptomatic positive via rapid but I was not. If I were the OP I would test again in a few days but unless symptoms are really present would be surprised if he didn’t test negative. I would use the Binax test on your son. I think the other brand of tests were the ones I had read about giving false positives.


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Thanks! I definitely plan to have ds tested again on Sunday (if he comes back negative from the school testing, still waiting for those results should have them by tomorrow. Hmmn, I can use the one Binax on him, but does anyone know about Flowflex? It is available near me, and I want to have some available and test myself and dd in a few days if ds is positive.

[bw52]

From what I’ve read the home tests don’t work very well for asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic. So I take my kids to get pcr tests if I want to be sure. My dd has a couple close friends that tested positive a week ago. She ate lunch with them outside and played with them everyday. She keeps her mask on whenever she isn’t eating. The other kids don’t though. I was worried she would have got it from
Them, but I tested her with a pcr test and she was negative.

[AnnieW625]

Mikala, great article! Thanks for sharing!



Thanks! I definitely plan to have ds tested again on Sunday (if he comes back negative from the school testing, still waiting for those results should have them by tomorrow. Hmmn, I can use the one Binax on him, but does anyone know about Flowflex? It is available near me, and I want to have some available and test myself and dd in a few days if ds is positive.

Yes it was the Flow Flex but that was a while ago. When I just Google searched it it said the Flow Flex brand was being recalled a few weeks ago because they didn’t have EUA approval. Most people here who ordered Binax from Walmart got them in a day or two (mine took 5 days and for some reason were shipped from Indiana and there were FedEx delays vs. others here who got them (some next day) as they shipped from SoCal or Nevada).


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[o_mom]

Yes it was the Flow Flex but that was a while ago. When I just Google searched it it said the Flow Flex brand was being recalled a few weeks ago because they didn’t have EUA approval. Most people here who ordered Binax from Walmart got them in a day or two (mine took 5 days and for some reason were shipped from Indiana and there were FedEx delays vs. others here who got them (some next day) as they shipped from SoCal or Nevada).


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This recall is only for certain Flowflex tests: https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/coro...tests/3496424/

They show the different boxes there.

Ellume was recalled in the fall for false positives: https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/...2-test-results

[ahisma]

Our state HHS is shipping out flow flex tests. I'm positive, because we received a large quantity to distribute.

[JustMe]

The Flowflex thing is super confusing, but after researching it, I think the ones that are available now are fine. That may be what I end up getting to keep in case we can’t get into get PCRs on the weekend. Thanks!