this post was submitted on 26 Sep 2024
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covid

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It's not enough and not often enough, but may as well take your free tests when you can.

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[–] [email protected] 26 points 1 month ago (4 children)

It's so awesome how expiration dates are meaningless labels that can be conveniently extended. Totally an indicator I want to put my trust into in the future.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 month ago

It's the same for food expiration dates. I treat them as an "ideal before this date, be more observant about the quality of this thing after" date

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 month ago

I was thinking the same thing. The efficacy of home tests are already waning, now we are promoting the use of expired tests with an already waning efficacy…

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago

I'm struggling to see how this is a bad thing worthy of scare terms and sarcasm. If the dates were being moved forward and backward, that would be concerning, but they're not.

How is the expiration date determined for an at-home COVID-19 diagnostic test and can it be extended?

[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 month ago

Woo, just saved like $40 spongebob-party

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 month ago (2 children)

will the vaccines become free again

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 month ago

in amerikkka, would not count on it
local city/county health departments can offer no-cost flu/covid shots for the uninsured (call to confirm):
https://www.naccho.org/membership/lhd-directory
free clinics may also be an option:
https://nafcclinics.org/find-clinic/

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago

I sure wish they would. Uptake this year is abysmal.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 month ago

Good post, bump

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 month ago

Thank you Op.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 month ago

GOOD post, thank you

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Just as a reminder, these are antigen tests.

Antigen tests help to gauge infectiousness. PCR tests gauge if you’ve contracted the virus.

Antigen tests will be NEGATIVE if your body is not producing a certain amount of COVID antigens (ie you were just infected). If you’re worried that you may have contracted COVID and/or are asymptomatic then you NEED A PCR TEST.

And if you do have COVID please use an antigen test 14 days after your first positive test (whether that was antigen or PCR) and KEEP TESTING EVERY 48 HOURS UNTIL YOU ARE NEGATIVE.

Oh and WEAR A GODDAMN MASK

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Do these tests detect the latest strains? Are these just leftovers from the last time the government sent out free tests?

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago (2 children)

I think all of the rapid tests are the same as they've ever been, which is relatively inaccurate and therefore you are best taking multiple tests 48 hours apart to verify negativity. False negatives are relatively common, but false positives are rare. It's not a great tool, but it's one of the few we can get for free sometimes.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

You gotta keep in mind false negatives are most commonly caused by user error and the test not detecting enough COVID antigens in the sample. Antigen tests gauge infectiousness. But even if you have symptoms you may still test negative because your body isn’t producing enough of the measurable antigens. So the antigen tests are one good tool to help gauge when you are no longer infectious.

If you’re testing negative after 14 days but still have symptoms then you might still be infectious.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

I received the tests. Can confirm that they are leftover tests that the government extended the expiration date on. The ones I got expired almost a year ago, and even with the extended expiration date, are only good for three more months.

Also, they do not appear to be reformulated to better detect any of the covid variants.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

Good to hear. Some sicknesses have been popping around lately. Cleared my throat after some rice and beans and I'm probably gonna worry someone.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

Thank you. I needed more of them.