What's the COVID Testing Situation in Your Area?

[anethum]

There was $50 billion in the American Rescue Act for expanding Covid testing. Use it to hire people to administer/distribute tests. Pay them decent money. Or where did that money go?

The daughter of a friend of mine who is a nursing student has been working at a drive through test site. She gets paid $50 an hour. Surely with $50 billion allocated for testing they could pay someone $25 an hour to pass out Covid tests.

Money to pay people to hand out test kits isn't the issue. As others have said, it's been chaotic in areas where test kits have been given out at libraries, and they're typically all gone very quickly. By mailing them, people without their own transportation, people whose jobs don't allow them to pick them up during the hours the test kits are being given out, and people who live in rural areas, are all able to get test kits easily and painlessly.

 

[Qs Laptop]

Money to pay people to hand out test kits isn't the issue. As others have said, it's been chaotic in areas where test kits have been given out at libraries, and they're typically all gone very quickly. By mailing them, people without their own transportation, people whose jobs don't allow them to pick them up during the hours the test kits are being given out, and people who live in rural areas, are all able to get test kits easily and painlessly.

These are good points. Thanks for posting.

 

[Scuba]

Personally, I am thrilled that we will get 4 free tests mailed to our home. It’s still nearly impossible to buy any, and having them delivered to our home is more convenient than having to go pick them up. And getting them free is even better!

 

[Badger]

Now all you have to worry about is the carrier delivering the package to the wrong house (has happened to me too many times and am currently dealing again with such a situation).

+1 Or hope your mailcarrier is honest.


I was also wondering if these test kits have an expiration date.


Cheers!

 

[disneysteve]

I was also wondering if these test kits have an expiration date.

I’m sure they do.

 

[Qs Laptop]

UnitedHealthcare Partners with Walmart on Free at-Home COVID Tests

UnitedHealthcare has agreements with Walmart and a growing list of retailers to make available free at-home COVID-19 tests when subscribers present their ID cards at pharmacy counters.

https://www.startribune.com/fourth-...st-4-billion-at-unitedhealth-group/600137280/

 

[anethum]

I was also wondering if these test kits have an expiration date.

I got an Abbott BinaxNow antigen quick test in early December with a label on the box which says it was manufactured on 10/25/2021, and expires on 4/30/2022. I just obtained a couple of iHealth antigen quick test boxes given away by my local government. It doesn't have a manufacturing date, but has an expiration date of 6/19/2022 printed on the box.

There's an app our local government wants us to use to report the test results.

 

[athena53]

Another data point: a guy in our church just tested positive. His wife, a retired nurse, can't get a test till Sunday (I'm posting this on Friday). This is in the Kansas City area. They take care of her 90-year old father so they need to be extra-careful. Scary that even someone who's over 65, takes the risk seriously and has had close contact with a known case can't get a test right away,

 

[jollystomper]

I was also wondering if these test kits have an expiration date.

I got an Abbott BinaxNow antigen quick test in early December with a label on the box which says it was manufactured on 10/25/2021, and expires on 4/30/2022. I just obtained a couple of iHealth antigen quick test boxes given away by my local government. It doesn't have a manufacturing date, but has an expiration date of 6/19/2022 printed on the box.

There's an app our local government wants us to use to report the test results.

We have several kits, the expiration dates range from April to October.

 

[disneysteve]

Another data point: a guy in our church just tested positive. His wife, a retired nurse, can't get a test till Sunday (I'm posting this on Friday). This is in the Kansas City area. They take care of her 90-year old father so they need to be extra-careful. Scary that even someone who's over 65, takes the risk seriously and has had close contact with a known case can't get a test right away,

A woman whose husband has tested positive needs to assume she is also positive and act accordingly. Also, her not getting tested until Sunday is appropriate because it could take a few days for her to test positive. Even Sunday could be too soon to know for sure since incubation is up to 14 days.

 

[disneysteve]

I would love to see some statistics on the percent of people who take 14 days for Covid to incubate.

I don't know the answer to that, but the median is 5 days, meaning up to half of cases take longer that that to show. Testing a day or two after exposure can give a false sense of security that all is clear.

 

[Chuckanut]

I don't know the answer to that, but the median is 5 days, meaning up to half of cases take longer that that to show. Testing a day or two after exposure can give a false sense of security that all is clear.

Thanks. I did a bit of research and found that 97% of the cases show up within 11 days. This study was done pre-Delta, so it may be even faster or slower with Omicron.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Thanks. I did a bit of research and found that 97% of the cases show up within 11 days. This study was done pre-Delta, so it may be even faster or slower with Omicron.

I think it could be harder to figure that out with omicron. Many folks are living like it's 2019 (at least where I live) and there are cases everywhere. Figuring out where one might have picked it up could be quite a challenge if not impossible in many cases.

 

[donheff]

A couple of weeks ago lines were around the block for a PCR test at a pop up site a couple of blocks away. The van that comes a block away every Friday was mobbed and all online reservations for it were taken. Today DW stopped by the van and took a PCR test with no reservation and no line. People seem to have just gotten over the panic.

 

[disneysteve]

Thanks. I did a bit of research and found that 97% of the cases show up within 11 days. This study was done pre-Delta, so it may be even faster or slower with Omicron.

The science is changing so rapidly it's impossible to keep up. Just speaking anecdotally, Omicron does seem to generally show up faster based on when patients tell me they were exposed and when they got sick.


I'm sure 14 days is a real outlier, but it's also not impossible.

 

[disneysteve]

People seem to have just gotten over the panic.

I don't think it has anything to do with panic. Case numbers have been declining in many areas. I know they have here in NJ. We're grateful to see any decrease.

 

[audreyh1]

Thanks. I did a bit of research and found that 97% of the cases show up within 11 days. This study was done pre-Delta, so it may be even faster or slower with Omicron.

Pretty sure it’s even faster with Omicron. At least on the front end - becoming infectious.

I think it could be harder to figure that out with omicron. Many folks are living like it's 2019 (at least where I live) and there are cases everywhere. Figuring out where one might have picked it up could be quite a challenge if not impossible in many cases.

Sure, if someone is out daily around a lot of people with no precautions, impossible to know when you were exposed.

 

[audreyh1]

A couple of weeks ago lines were around the block for a PCR test at a pop up site a couple of blocks away. The van that comes a block away every Friday was mobbed and all online reservations for it were taken. Today DW stopped by the van and took a PCR test with no reservation and no line. People seem to have just gotten over the panic.

We are also weeks past the holidays.

 

[donheff]

I don't think it has anything to do with panic. Case numbers have been declining in many areas. I know they have here in NJ. We're grateful to see any decrease.

Yes and, as Audrey points out, past the holidays. The lines got so crazy it seemed like a panic. But more likely lots of people just wanted to be sure they could travel or sit down to a Christmas dinner without endangering others.

 

[disneysteve]

Yes and, as Audrey points out, past the holidays. The lines got so crazy it seemed like a panic. But more likely lots of people just wanted to be sure they could travel or sit down to a Christmas dinner without endangering others.

And hundreds of people who actually had COVID.


For a couple of weeks, we were arriving at work every morning to find a line of patients waiting for us to open. It wasn't a panic. They were all sick, and the positivity rate was sky high, the worst it's been since COVID began. Thankfully, that's no longer the case the past week or so.

 

[athena53]

A woman whose husband has tested positive needs to assume she is also positive and act accordingly. Also, her not getting tested until Sunday is appropriate because it could take a few days for her to test positive. Even Sunday could be too soon to know for sure since incubation is up to 14 days.

She will act accordingly- I know her. I knew about the situation because she e-mailed and said they wouldn't be in church on Sunday.

I hadn't thought about the extra 2 days making it more likelly that the test would be accurate.

 

[audreyh1]

Yes and, as Audrey points out, past the holidays. The lines got so crazy it seemed like a panic. But more likely lots of people just wanted to be sure they could travel or sit down to a Christmas dinner without endangering others.

I was assuming that right after the holidays a lot of people caught Covid due to family gatherings and needed to test, thus the long lines.

 

[audreyh1]

She will act accordingly- I know her. I knew about the situation because she e-mailed and said they wouldn't be in church on Sunday.

I hadn't thought about the extra 2 days making it more likelly that the test would be accurate.

Really, 2 more days is not bad. A week or more is terrible.

 

[Mmm Rrr]

The state of Washington is also providing tests by mail to some residents - you put in your zip code and they tell you if you are eligible:
https://www.sayyescovidhometest.org

 

[jollystomper]

Perhaps the supply has increased or the demand has dropped for test kits. I have seen them in stock online at Walmart this week. Ordered a couple Thursday (CVS will reimburse us for them), they showed up today (would have been here yesterday except for the snow).