Day one of symptoms (Tuesday) I took a COVID test which came up negative (bottom). I was absolutely sick af, hot flashes, heart palpitations, headache, etc. But negative for COVID.
Today I -finally- got an instant positive on a rapid test on day 4 of sickness. At this point I almost feel well enough most people might not think I'm sick, and if I had a boss, they'd probably tell me to be in the office breathing on folks.
The false negatives are very real.
https://partyon.xyz/system/media_attachments/files/111/072/326/826/379/632/original/8a96ae0e305e2af1.jpg
@9cef8c9f Did you swab your throat or only nostrils? Nostril swabs rarely accurate now.
@9cef8c9f This *very much* depends on the quality of the tests, and I'm perfectly unsure why bad tests are still allowed to be sold, given that >>99% sensitivity/specificity are cheaply possible since years 😠
(And yes, the probe needs to go deep.)
#Covid19 #Covid19Tests
@9cef8c9f
IMHumbleO rapid tests almost do more harm than good now.
Typically they don’t show a positive until after about 4 days of infection, during which time someone can easily be contagious (we’ve known this for a long time — e.g. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/how-long-could-i-be-contagious-before-a-positive-virus-test)
Unless you get a PCR test (Lucira etc.) the best strategy is probably, “If you think you might have it, you probably have”. And continue to do what everyone ought to be doing anyway: #WearAMask
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