Posted on 12/30/2021 8:13:51 AM PST by Red Badger
Health officials in the US are warning that at-home antigen COVID-19 tests may be less effective at detecting cases of the Omicron variant – the super infectious variant that’s currently swarming parts of the word – compared to other strains.
On December 28, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a statement saying: “Early data suggest that antigen tests do detect the omicron variant but may have reduced sensitivity.” In other words, if you are infected with the Omicron variant, some antigen tests may be more likely to provide a false negative result than if you had Delta.
Until this issue is resolved, the FDA says the two following brands of antigen tests are "expected to fail to detect" the Omicron variant, so people should take extra precautions: Meridian Bioscience, Inc. Revogene SARS-CoV-2 and Applied DNA Science Linea COVID-19 Assay Kit.
The FDA still advises people to use antigen tests just as before, although they should be aware of other factors. If you’ve had a negative result with an antigen test, but you are experiencing symptoms or have been exposed to a confirmed case of COVID-19, then you should get a follow-up molecular test, also known as a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, to be sure.
Sometimes referred to as rapid lateral flow tests, antigen tests work by detecting proteins known to be associated with SARS-CoV-2, which are present when someone is infectious. PCR tests work by detecting the virus’s genetic material, RNA. In comparison, PCR tests are very accurate and significantly more sensitive as they involve a step where the genetic material of the virus is amplified, making it easier to spot.
One tip that could help antigen tests detect a case of Omicron is ensuring to thoroughly swab the throat. Some of the newer tests advise people to only swab the nostril, but some health experts have argued for swabbing in the throat around the tonsils as well. In fact, a preprint paper (not yet peer-reviewed) found saliva swabs had a 100 percent accuracy rate for detecting Omicron compared to the less accurate nasal swab.
“Well, there it is. Today, with the “wrong” (i.e. cold) symptoms and after a string of negative LFTs, I finally took Twitter advice and swabbed my throat as well as my nose (no mean feat with that diddly stick). If you think you might have COVID, consider adding the throat sample,” tweeted Professor Jennifer L Rohn, a cell biologist at University College London.
LFT tests: Nose only doesn't work! Yesterday throat + nose (my only symptom was a sore throat). Today (after POSITIVE PCR) tried nose only (per leaflet). NEGATIVE! Same test done same time with nose + throat POSITIVE. How many people out there think they're clear? #covidchristmas pic.twitter.com/KNyI6nZpFE
— Anna Shelton (@annavshelton) December 26, 2021 “These instruct the user to perform nasal sampling only. Other kits are designed for dual tonsil/nasal sampling. My suggestion is to perform dual even for former,” added Professor Rohn.
Of course, all of this depends of whether you can actually get your hands on any tests. The US continues to lag in testing and many Americans struggled to get a COVID-19 test over the Christmas period.
“Seeing how tough it was for some folks to get a test this weekend shows that we have more work to do, and we’re doing it,” President Joe Biden said in a recent address.
President Biden noted that over-the-counter home tests were not available in the US when he took office back in January. Although a number have now been made available, he conceded that much more needs to be done.
“We went from no over-the-counter tests in January to 46 million in October, 100 million in November, and almost 200 million in December,” he said. “But it’s not enough. It’s clearly not enough. If I had — we had known, we would have gone harder, quicker if we could have.”
Test if you need to (your not feeling correct) and don’t if you don’t need to as you don’t want to fall for a false positive.
FDA has not supplied ANY data to support their position on this. Most rapid antigen tests detect SARS CoV 2 nucleoprotein, which is not mutated in any variant.
I’m afraid this is part of an internal war within the bureaucracy about the usefulness of PCR vs antigen tests for assessing infectivity, which war the PCR forces are losing.
the FDA lies on the EMPTY labels forcing death, morbidity,
and sterilization on children, babies, preg. moms,
nursing mothers, adults
as IT KNOWS the “VAX”-rapes kill individuals
and whole generations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Did you not read at least the title of the story?
Tests are NOT EFFECTIVE......so what’s the use in getting tested?
Placebo and paranoia.
Comedy gold right there. The PCR tests can't discern covid from a grapefruit, so these RA tests can't discern, what? A hedgehog from a Jane Austin novel?
My wife tested positive for COVID over a week ago and I tested negative. She had symptoms. I got symptoms this past weekend.
I got rapid-tested Tuesday and was negative. So either the tests are false-negativing on me or I evacuated COVID so fast it has no trace left.
This “planedemic” has been one huge mess from the start and the FDA, Fauci, the Media and others have no credibility left.
More and more people are ignoring their agenda driven crap and going on with their lives as best they can.
It is easier to keep fooling people than to convince them they are being fooled.
Nope, they work.
“Less Accurate” being a euphemism for “can’t tell the difference between Covid and the flu much less one Covid variant from another?”
Home test kits are selling for around $25 each....There are better places for the money most of us live on.
Scare you into taking the home test-—and then tell us it isn’t very accurate.
NICE !!!
If you test positive or even think that you have Covid 19, Delta or Convirus:
Fully Vaccinated:
Fully Vaccinated people should immediately go to a hospital, we care about you!
CDC: Wear a seat belt even when you are not in a car on the way to the hospital!
https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/1476229635323142145/qX7c6cEQ?format=jpg&name=900x900
Unvaccinated:
Don’t go to a hospital! We don’t care about you evil bastards, and we won’t treat you. Stay in your home and die!
We gave our sick son a home test and he came up negative. He was scheduled to work the next day and felt pretty awful. He told us that they were very short staffed and he couldn't call out on Christmas Day without a doctor's note. Since he works in a hospital, the expedient thing to do was show up for work and let them test him if they didn't like the look of him. He and a bunch of (vax'd) colleagues were sent home after a positive COVID test.
Learnings: 1) the shots don't protect against omicron; 2) home tests don't work well against omicron; 3) lots of vax'd hospital workers are getting sick and transmitting COVID.
This morning my husband (who is also getting over omicron) got a message from a pal who is vax'd out the wazoo and wears masks everywhere that he is sick with COVID. He can't figure it out. I sure hope this wakes some people up about the 'epidemic of the unvax'd'.
Just test twice a few hours apart.Go with the last test.
I’ve never been tested, never vaxxed, and treat it like the common cold or the flu. Stuff happens. Heck, I cut my finger with a package tape thingie. But it got better.
>>Did you not read at least the title of the story?
Tests are NOT EFFECTIVE......so what’s the use in getting tested?<<
The wife and I started feeling like Ca-Ca. As symptoms progressively increased over a couple of days but still relatively mild at this point. Mostly low-grade fever, a really messed up headache both of us. A headache like I’ve not felt before. Wife had a sore throat in addition.
We had both at home antigen kits, one from Bianex from Abbott and Intelliswap. So I whooped’m out.
First test was Intelliswap. Within 30 minutes the results showed (+). I thought, well I’m reading so much about these test kits only be so so effective. I ripped open a Bianex kit.
Swabby swabby just as it instructed. It too came back (+).
I dunno folks. Seemed to work for us.
That is the FDA’s way of saying that the tests do not work.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.