SAN DIEGO — At-home COVID test kits shipped from the U.S. Postal Service are making their way to San Diegan mailboxes. After you receive your four test kits in the mail when is the best time to use them?
“If you have symptoms you should use it one or two days after your symptoms start,” said Dr. Abisola Olulade in family medicine at Sharp Rees-Stealy.
If you've been exposed to someone with COVID but don't have any symptoms, Dr. Abisola Olulade said to take the at-home test five days after you were exposed.
"The test can be falsely negative if you take it too soon, so you do want to wait if you have been exposed but do not have symptoms at least five days,” Dr. Olulade said.
The COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Tests from the White House come with clear instructions to swab your nose and expect results within 15 minutes. They are not as accurate as the PCR test, so it helps to take more than one rapid test but not within the same day.
"They work better when you test several times, so if you take one test and it is negative, you can test a few days later, and that actually helps the overall accuracy of the tests,” Dr. Olulade said.
The tests do have an expiration date. Some tests that recently shipped expire on Dec. 31.
"That can make them not as accurate, and at that point, you do not want to rely on them,” Dr. Olulade said.
If your at-home test is positive, Dr. Olulade said you do not have to double-up and confirm with a PCR test.
"They are rarely falsely positive if you use them the right way. Don’t swab your throat, as we get a lot of calls about that,” Dr. Olulade said.
The rapid tests are great indicators for if one should return to work, school, or go visit an elderly or at-risk person. After taking a test, and if the results are positive, it's not required, but is recommended to tell your doctor.
"You should let a medical professional know that just helps us have a better accurate account of all the overall cases,” Dr. Olulade said.
To order the free COVID tests, you can call the White House hotline at 800-232-0233 or go to COVIDtests.gov
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