• Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA Notice
Podcast
  • Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA Notice
24/7 Health News
No Result
View All Result
Home Article

How to use rapid testing to keep you and your family safe during the 2021 holiday season

December 12, 2021
in Article
0
How to use rapid testing to keep you and your family safe during the 2021 holiday season
file 20211206 23 1b6c5g4
Rapid antigen tests are easy to use and detect whether your body is shedding the SARS-CoV-2 virus. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov) 

This holiday season, we are all itching for a little bit of normalcy. For many, this means spending time with family and friends, and dropping the masks to drink eggnog. But even if you are fully immunized against COVID-19 (whether that’s defined as two or three vaccines is currently under debate), the infectiousness of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, means that you can still transmit the virus to others.

Vaccination is the best way to protect yourself against COVID-19. Even if infected, vaccinated people are less likely to have symptoms and more likely to have a mild course of infection. However, this means that you may not even know that you have SARS-CoV-2 (whether the Delta variant or Omicron) and could unwittingly pass it on to someone else.

To protect the most vulnerable — including those who are immunocompromised, the elderly and kids who have yet to be vaccinated — rapid antigen testing (rapid testing) is an extra measure that can help you have a more normal holiday, if used correctly. As health-care professionals, we have been involved in rapid testing research and clinical use during the pandemic. Here are some common questions and answers.

Table of Contents

  • 1. What is a rapid test?
  • 2. What does a rapid test actually tell you?
  • 3. How long before an event should I take a rapid test?
  • 4. When should I not use it?
  • 5. How much does it cost? Where can I find one?
  • The bottom line

1. What is a rapid test?

Rapid antigen tests detect whether your body is shedding the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Rapid tests are very easy to use — so easy that an eight-year-old can become well-versed in the correct procedure and teach adults how to do it.

For most tests, you insert a stick resembling a cotton swab into each nostril for five seconds, roll it around and then mix it with a liquid solution. Then, using a dropper, you place the solution on a test kit (it looks like a pregnancy test). The result is ready in about 15 minutes.

Components of a rapid antigen test: a swab, vial of reagent liquid and a test device.
A rapid antigen test kit includes a nasal swab, a vial of reagent fluid and a test device.
(Pixabay)

A rapid test differs from the PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test, which measures amplified viral RNA. PCR tests are generally more invasive. The sample is collected by a nasopharyngeal swab that requires sampling of nasal and pharyngeal pathways near the back of the throat. It takes longer to get results (hours to days versus minutes) and typically needs to be administered and processed by a health-care professional. However, the PCR test is the only choice if you are symptomatic and require a diagnosis at hospital or clinics.

2. What does a rapid test actually tell you?

A rapid antigen tests tells you if you have the SARS-CoV-2 virus and are infectious in the moment — even when you are showing no symptoms (asymptomatic).

A hand dropping test solution onto a COVID-19 testing device.
After mixing the nasal swab in the liquid solution, place the solution onto the test kit. Results will be ready in about 15 minutes.
(Pixabay)

3. How long before an event should I take a rapid test?

A rapid test result is considered valid for the day you receive the results. So, it is most useful if you take the test shortly before you plan to attend an event or be in close quarters with others.

But you should be strategic about when you do it. For example, if you’re travelling four hours to see grandma for Christmas you likely want to take the test before you get in the car, because if you show up at grandma’s, take the test and find you’re positive, human nature might make you both want to bend the rules and have just a quick visit.

With the infectiousness of the Delta variant and, possibly, Omicron, this is not a safe choice.

If you have access to multiple tests and can test regularly — before you travel, before you interact with different groups of people on the same day — that is ideal.

4. When should I not use it?

Rapid tests should not be used when you are symptomatic and require a clinical diagnosis. Why? Because if you are symptomatic, you should self-isolate and/or get a PCR test, depending on your local guidelines and your personal vaccine status.

Your symptoms might not be related to COVID-19. They could also be due to the influenza virus, which could still be harmful to pass on to the immunocompromised. If you’re feeling unwell, stay home and get a PCR test in accordance with your local guidelines. Period.

5. How much does it cost? Where can I find one?

In Canada, many small businesses have cropped up to provide rapid tests for travel with costs ranging from $75-130. But tests can also be purchased individually or by the box starting at $10 per test.

Publicly funded tests are harder to come by, and availability varies by jurisdiction. The federal government gave rapid tests to each province, but how these are being shared varies widely.

Two COVID-19 test devices, one with a negative reading and one positive, against a black background
A negative rapid antigen test on the left and a positive test on the right.
(Pixabay)

Pop-up rapid test distribution centres have emerged in B.C. communities with high rates of COVID-19 through the Fraser Health Authority. Saskatchewan has been distributing rapid tests through business-lobby groups and schools, but has found that many people don’t know how to use the tests correctly. In Nova Scotia, infectious disease expert Dr. Lisa Barret has led a number of successful efforts to distribute rapid tests in the community, including giving out condoms and COVID tests to university students.

The bottom line

The best ways to protect yourself and your family from COVID-19 are to get vaccinated, wear a mask, keep your distance and gather outside when possible. If you choose to gather in person, rapid tests are one more tool in our toolbox to stay safe for the holidays. Remember, rapid tests aren’t for those with symptoms — they are only for people who are asymptomatic.

The Conversation

Kristen Haase receives funding from Health Canada and Roche to study rapid testing.

Don D. Sin receives funding from Westjet/YVR to evaluate the feasibility of implementing rapid testing at airports.

ShareTweetSharePin
Previous Post

This season, give the gift of tech literacy — not addiction — along with that device

Next Post

The impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of children and young people in the UK: what the research says

Next Post
The impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of children and young people in the UK: what the research says

The impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of children and young people in the UK: what the research says

Most Read

What causes stuttering? A speech pathology researcher explains the science and the misconceptions around this speech disorder

What causes stuttering? A speech pathology researcher explains the science and the misconceptions around this speech disorder

December 15, 2022
morning back pain

Morning Again Ache Trigger Is Not the Mattress

October 11, 2021
lower back pain relief exercises

5 decrease again ache aid workouts

October 11, 2021
3 years after legalization, we have shockingly little information about how it changed cannabis use and health harms

3 years after legalization, we have shockingly little information about how it changed cannabis use and health harms

October 15, 2021
Good Night Sleep

6 Causes of Good Evening Sleep

October 11, 2021
bleeding in gum

When The Bleeding in gum Is Severe ?

October 11, 2021
Nasal vaccines promise to stop the COVID-19 virus before it gets to the lungs – an immunologist explains how they work

Nasal vaccines promise to stop the COVID-19 virus before it gets to the lungs – an immunologist explains how they work

December 14, 2022
Ten small changes you can make today to prevent weight gain

Ten small changes you can make today to prevent weight gain

October 12, 2021

COVID vaccines: how one can pace up rollout in poorer international locations

October 5, 2021

Multiple sclerosis: the link with earlier infection just got stronger – new study

October 12, 2021
Support and collaboration with health-care providers can help people make health decisions

Support and collaboration with health-care providers can help people make health decisions

December 16, 2021
Greece to make COVID vaccines mandatory for over-60s, but do vaccine mandates work?

Greece to make COVID vaccines mandatory for over-60s, but do vaccine mandates work?

December 1, 2021
The promise of repairing bones and tendons with human-made materials

The promise of repairing bones and tendons with human-made materials

January 4, 2022
Nurses’ attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination for their children are highly influenced by partisanship, a new study finds

Nurses’ attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination for their children are highly influenced by partisanship, a new study finds

December 2, 2022
How hot is too hot for the human body? Our lab found heat + humidity gets dangerous faster than many people realize

How hot is too hot for the human body? Our lab found heat + humidity gets dangerous faster than many people realize

July 6, 2022
Heart disease risk from saturated fats may depend on what foods they come from – new research

Heart disease risk from saturated fats may depend on what foods they come from – new research

November 29, 2021
News of war can impact your mental health — here’s how to cope

Binge-eating disorder is more common than many realise, yet it’s rarely discussed – here’s what you need to know

December 2, 2022
How regulatory agencies, not the courts, are imposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates

How regulatory agencies, not the courts, are imposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates

October 24, 2021
As viral infections skyrocket, masks are still a tried-and-true way to help keep yourself and others safe

As viral infections skyrocket, masks are still a tried-and-true way to help keep yourself and others safe

December 14, 2022
How to keep your pets safe in a heatwave

How to keep your pets safe in a heatwave

July 15, 2022
Four ways to avoid gaining weight over the festive period – but also why you shouldn’t fret about it too much

Four ways to avoid gaining weight over the festive period – but also why you shouldn’t fret about it too much

December 22, 2022
Too hot to handle: Climate considerations for youth sport during the hottest years on record

Too hot to handle: Climate considerations for youth sport during the hottest years on record

July 19, 2022
Why suicide prevention support is crucial for people with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder

Why suicide prevention support is crucial for people with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder

September 28, 2022
GPs don’t give useful weight-loss advice – new study

GPs don’t give useful weight-loss advice – new study

December 16, 2022
Late night eating may cause greater weight gain – new research points to why

Late night eating may cause greater weight gain – new research points to why

October 12, 2022
Catatonia: the person’s body may be frozen, but their minds are not – new study

Catatonia: the person’s body may be frozen, but their minds are not – new study

May 24, 2022
Medical societies and health-care companies may be too close for comfort

Medical societies and health-care companies may be too close for comfort

May 13, 2022
Cold showers: a scientist explains if they are as good for you as Wim Hof (the ‘Iceman’) suggests

Cold showers: a scientist explains if they are as good for you as Wim Hof (the ‘Iceman’) suggests

April 22, 2022
Nobel prize: how chilli peppers helped researchers uncover how humans feel pain

Nobel prize: how chilli peppers helped researchers uncover how humans feel pain

October 12, 2021

7 Health Benefits of Sweet Potatoes

October 12, 2021
  • Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer

© 2020 DAILY HEALTH NEWS

  • Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA Notice

© 2020 DAILY HEALTH NEWS