Best printers for Home

Best Mixer Grinder

Best wired Earphones

Best 43 Inch TV in India

Best Wi Fi Routers

Best Home Theatre in India

Smart Watch under 5000

Best Laptops for Education

Best Laptop for Students

<div type="image" title="United Airlines testing" height="2160" width="3840" msid="81484515" hostid="261"></div><ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">Coronavirus</keyword> tests will be important infection prevention tools, with us for years to come.</li><li>Using more rapid tests at schools, offices, and before boarding airplanes could become the norm.</li><li>Experts stress we need to develop better testing systems, and understand what test results mean.</li><li>This article is one in a four-part series on the simple ways to fix the America's biggest COVID-19 mistakes. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-live-with-covid-19-pandemic-solutions-2021-3">Click here to read more</a>.</li><li> </li></ul>A year into the pandemic, one might think we'd all be COVID testing pros by now, with <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-reopening-testing-plan-covid19-antibody-pcr-problems-solutions-2020-4">little home testing kits</a> as simple to use and easy to get as a urine wand pregnancy test. Nope. Although many of us have grown used to braving the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/womans-brain-fluid-leaked-into-nose-after-covid-test-swab-2020-9">near brain-tickle</a> of a nose swab, some fundamental misunderstandings about when, why, and how to get tested remain.The coronavirus testing that is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-patients-medical-bills-hospitals-doctors-insurance-2020-5">supposed to be free to anyone</a> who needs it in the US isn't always widely available, or used well either. We're still using <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dont-rely-on-rapid-covid-19-tests-party-see-parents-2020-8">negative test results for all the wrong reasons</a>, while not being conscientious enough about what those test results really mean, and how to best make use of our supply."Obviously, vaccinations are awesome, and we need to vaccinate people [but] we cannot give up on testing," Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of <keyword id="6364896" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="public-health">Public Health</keyword> told reporters Thursday, on the one year anniversary of the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/who-declares-coronavirus-pandemic-covid19-2020-3">World Health Organization's pandemic declaration</a>. "I think testing will remain an important part of this pandemic response, of this disease response, for years," he added. "And I mean for years, I don't just mean for the next couple of months."<h2>We need to be smarter about when we get tested</h2><div type="image" title="Costa Rica coronavirus covid test" height="1667" width="2500" msid="81484517" hostid="261"></div>Amidst constantly changing advisories about <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/when-to-get-tested-for-covid-quarantine-2020-10">when to get tested</a>, most people haven't gotten the proper timing down.Experts recommend waiting five to seven days after any known coronavirus exposure to get a COVID test. During that waiting period, you should <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/isolate-before-after-covid-19-test-be-sure-of-results-2021-1">self-isolate</a> to be sure that you're not exposing others to the virus if you are sick (or potentially getting infected yourself).The coronavirus's incubation period is between two and 14 days, so it's best to keep away from others while you wait for your results. Some experts even suggest <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/when-to-get-tested-for-covid-quarantine-2020-10">getting a second test</a> if your first one is negative, just in case the virus was still incubating when you first got tested.Experts also stress that in the next phase of the pandemic, a different kind of widespread, surveillance-style testing will become more and more important. "We've got to be able to run both testing sites and vaccination sites, and cannot be trading off one for the other," Jha said. Kids in primary schools won't be vaccinated this summer, so it'll be important to have rapid tests available when schools reopen, and at other large indoor gatherings where it's unclear who's vaccinated and who's not: indoor concerts, plays, weddings, offices, and college campuses could all benefit from more rapid tests, which are not perfect, but do often help screen out the most infectious among us. "Testing will add a really important level of safety in making those things possible," Jha said.<h2>A negative test result should still be treated with caution</h2><div type="image" title="mask shield airport" height="2507" width="3343" msid="81484518" hostid="261"></div>Even if you do everything right before getting a COVID-19 test, your results still only reflect a moment in time, and are never 100% accurate. That means a negative test result is not an "immunity passport" or permission to live as if you're COVID-free. You could be incubating the virus today, and become infectious to others tomorrow. Getting tested for COVID-19 is not pointless, but be thoughtful about when and why you're seeking out that swab. If you're getting tested so you can visit with a high-risk family member, for example, you should plan to get a test five days after your most recent potential exposure (which might be the plane/train ride there, if you're taking a trip). After waiting out the incubation period and potentially getting a second test, the first place you go should be grandma's house - not a restaurant or your friend's apartment where others could be getting you sick.Ultimately, a negative test is going to be just one in a slew of COVID-19 prevention measures that will be with us for a while: wearing a mask in public, social distancing, and traveling less. Doing that, what some health experts have dubbed the "<a href="http://www.wcchd.org/COVID-19/docs/swiss%20cheese.pdf">swiss cheese" model</a> of infection prevention, and including a negative test in the mix, leaves very little room for the virus to spread, especially if the more vulnerable members of your party have already been vaccinated.<h2>More people should be getting tested regularly</h2><div type="image" title="snl kate mckinnon" height="1650" width="2200" msid="81484519" hostid="261"></div>The US has had plenty of time to scale up its testing capabilities, but still, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/covid-vaccine-tests-shortage-us-states-run-gao-report-2020-12">tests are not always available when we need them</a> most. Yet a few places have managed to get testing down right on their own. In <a href="https://www.doe.mass.edu/covid19/pooled-testing/">Massachusetts, elementary schools</a> are saving on testing supplies by pooling many students' samples together, helping to ensure entire classrooms are virus-free for learning. Harvard epidemiologist Dr. Michael Mina is teaming up with Citibank to get the company's employees to use rapid, at home tests three times a week, and measure whether that cuts down on disease spread in the workplace."These types of tests are (remarkably) not FDA authorized for frequent use at home," Mina <a href="https://twitter.com/michaelmina_lab/status/1369689021614616577">tweeted on Thursday</a> as his new study was announced. "I'm committed to helping us (society) not find ourselves having to distance from our loved ones for a year ever again," he added. "And I'll keep working to identify creative avenues that prevent another year like the one we are emerging from."

America's COVID-19 testing strategy isn't working. Let's test more people at random, and be more precise about when to get tested.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>New research suggests Omicron may be easier to detect in saliva than nasal samples.</li><li>Some experts recommend swabbing your throat then your nose for a COVID-19 <keyword id="11996463" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="rapid-test" source="Orion">rapid test</keyword>, even if the test doesn't say to.</li></ul>The FDA has authorized just one method of taking a COVID-19 rapid test: swabbing the inside of your nose.But ever since Omicron came into force in the US in mid-December, some people have noted <a href="https://twitter.com/Abbydietitian/status/1476610989126832132">on social media</a> that their rapid tests only come back positive after adding saliva to the mix. The anecdotes raised questions about whether throat swabs could increase a test's accuracy, or detect virus particles before a standard nose swab.Four disease experts told Insider they agree that it could be a good idea to throat-swab at home, even if the test doesn't call for it. But most recommended sticking the swab up your nose as well. "If you were my friend, I would say to you, 'Yeah, I would suggest that you swab your throat first and then your nose,'" Irene Petersen, an epidemiology professor at University College London, told Insider.If the test comes back positive, there's little reason to doubt the results, experts added. But since rapid tests were not designed to include a throat-swab, it doesn't hurt to verify the results with a lab-quality PCR test, said Susan Butler-Wu, who directs clinical testing for infectious diseases at the University of Southern California."I get why people are doing it," Butler-Wu said of throat swabbing. "I'd probably do it myself. But I would want to confirm if it was positive."<h2>Throat swabs haven't been vetted by the FDA for use at home</h2><div type="image" title="gloved person inserting rapid test swab into binax now card" height="1191" width="2100" msid="88743068" hostid="261"></div>Test manufacturers and US health agencies aren't recommending at-home throat swabs yet."The FDA advises that COVID-19 tests should be used as authorized, including following their instructions for use regarding obtaining the sample for testing," an FDA spokesperson told Insider, adding: "The FDA has noted safety concerns regarding self-collection of throat swabs, as they are more complicated than nasal swabs — and if used incorrectly, can cause harm to the patient."Abbott, one of the leading producers of rapid tests in the US, told Insider that its rapid test, BinaxNOW, should be used exclusively as a nasal swab because that's how it was designed."The test is highly accurate when used as intended," an Abbott spokesperson said.<h2>Why throat swabbing may help detect a positive case </h2><div type="image" title="man opening wide for saliva swab" height="1205" width="1606" msid="88743069" hostid="261"></div>Scientists have generally understood nasal swabs to be better at detecting respiratory viruses, including SARS-CoV2."The cells in the lining of the nose are much more similar to the cells deeper in the lungs," Sheldon Campbell, associate professor of laboratory medicine at Yale School of Medicine, told Insider. "That's traditionally why we've diagnosed all these viruses up in the nose."But it's possible <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/covid-omicron-rapid-test-throat-nose-swab-miss-infection-experts-2022-1">the Omicron variant may change the way the coronavirus replicates or congregates</a> in the body.In a December <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.12.22.21268246v1">study</a> that hasn't been peer reviewed, South African researchers found that saliva tests were better at picking up Omicron than nasal tests — detecting 100% of cases, while nasal swabs were only 86% sensitive. With Delta, the opposite was true: Saliva swabs were 71% sensitive, whereas nasal swabs were 100% sensitive.On Wednesday, a team of US researchers released another small <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.01.04.22268770v1">study</a> — also not-yet-peer-reviewed — that supported those findings. They found that the viral load from an Omicron infection peaked in saliva one to two days before it peaked in nasal swabs. The study was based on samples from just 30 people. But these new results back up what <a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/conz/status/1476220981161177089">Twitter's</a> <a href="https://wgme.com/news/local/maine-cdc-swab-your-throat-instead-of-the-nose-with-at-home-test-kits">rogue citizen scientists have suggested</a> — that throat swabs might be detecting Omicron earlier in the course of a vaccinated person's illness than nasal swabs can.<h2>The throat may carry a higher viral load in Omicron's case</h2>Omicron's unique pattern of symptoms may offer more clues about where the variant prefers to hang out in the body.Tens of thousands of Omicron patients in the UK log their symptoms every day using the Zoe COVID app, <a href="https://youtu.be/AhTwYb3b99g?t=294">and 60% say they're suffering from a sore throat</a>, making it one of the top five symptoms there. Many of those patients also <a href="https://covid.joinzoe.com/post/omicron-and-cold-like-symptoms-rapidly-taking-over-in-london">report</a> that sore throat is one of their earliest symptoms. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/omicron-symptoms-cough-runny-nose-mild-us-europe-cdc-2021-12">Health officials in both the US and European Union</a> are, similarly, noting fewer instances of fever or loss of taste and smell with Omicron, when compared with other variants."It may be that Omicron is showing us a slightly different set of symptoms, and that may reflect perhaps a change in where this virus is infecting in your respiratory tract or how well it's infecting certain cells in your respiratory tract," Andy Pekosz, a virologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of <keyword id="6364896" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="public-health" source="Orion">Public Health</keyword>, told Insider. "When you hear the same anecdotes from people that say a lot of them have a scratchy throat, it is probably because that's where the highest concentration of the virus is at that point," Petersen added. The variant, she said, "may colonize the tissues in the throat earlier than in your nose."That could, theoretically, be even more true now that "many people are vaccinated," she said, a potential early sign their vaccine-induced immunity is kicking in. "Therefore, they may develop symptoms very early on, when they still have very little viral material, especially in the nose."On the other hand, throat swabs might simply be picking up on drainage from the nose, Campbell said."It's not implausible that there's a fair amount of virus in the back of the throat — even if it's not replicating there, frankly, because everything runs down there from the nose," he said.<h2>How to perform a throat swab properly </h2><div type="image" title="woman swabbing throat in her car" height="1397" width="2100" msid="88743071" hostid="261"></div>If you're going to try swabbing your throat at home, there are a few key things to know. Many rapid tests in the UK use a combined throat/nose swab, and the UK Health Security Agency has a brief <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qHTBlxfNes">how-to video</a>.First, it's important not to drink, eat, or brush your teeth for at least 30 mins prior to performing the swab, because it's possible that could mess with your test results."We're talking about basically putting something onto a strip of special paper," Butler-Wu said of how the rapid antigen tests work. "So we worry more about random chemical interference, potentially."Next, always be sure to wash your hands thoroughly before testing. Then, stand in front of a mirror, and open wide. Stick out your tongue, so you can see the bridge-like, arched surface that extends across the roof of your throat. The area directly behind that bridge, where your <a href="https://training.seer.cancer.gov/anatomy/lymphatic/components/tonsils.html">tonsils jut out</a> on either side, is the place we're interested in sampling for virus. <a href="https://youtu.be/5qHTBlxfNes?t=149">Sweep across both tonsils, at the top of the very back of the mouth</a>, for several seconds. Avoid touching the tongue, teeth, or the insides of your cheeks with the swab.Be gentle, but <a href="https://youtu.be/S9XR8RZxKNo">swab judiciously back and forth across both tonsils firmly, at least four times</a>. Sampling this far back may activate your gag reflex, but it shouldn't hurt you. Then, proceed with your nose swab as usual. It's very important to swab your throat before your nose, because you don't want to introduce anything that may be stuck in your nose down your throat.Some experts said they expect manufacturers to come out with updated guidance for rapid tests soon, though Abbott declined to comment on whether that was the case. "Nobody's trying to dupe anybody," Butler-Wu said. "We're all thrown into this hot mess together trying to figure it out."

'Swab your throat first and then your nose': 4 disease experts offer new guidance on COVID-19 rapid tests

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Rapid tests work well on Omicron variants, but only if your viral load is high at the time.</li><li>You need to reach a certain threshold before any test — PCR or rapid — can detect your infection.</li></ul>Rapid tests for COVID-19 are simple to administer and ready within minutes, involving little more than a quick swab of your nostrils dunked into a solution of virus-hunting chemicals.Last year, the federal government promised to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-get-free-rapid-covid-19-test-federal-government-2021-12" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">distribute half a billion free COVID-19 tests</a> across the country in 2022 and to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/insurers-dont-have-to-retroactively-reimburse-at-home-covid-tests-2021-12" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reimburse over-the-counter pharmacy kits</a> starting in January.The <a href="https://www.covid.gov/tests">program has now been brought back to life</a> after being paused since August, meaning US citizens can request four at-home tests per family. Americans can also still get reimbursement from the government for 8 at-home tests a month. But if you don't <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/false-negative-reasons-rapid-covid-test-may-show-bad-result-2021-12" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">use rapid tests in the right way</a> at the right time, they won't provide accurate results. And some experts have expressed surprise at how infectious Omicron has been over the last year, with symptomless, vaccinated people shedding the virus and infecting others days before a rapid test detects their infection.According to early <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1042688/RA_Technical_Briefing_32_DRAFT_17_December_2021_2021_12_17.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">studies from the UK</a> and the US Food and Drug Administration, rapid tests still work. But they have to be taken at the right time and, ideally, performed multiple times over the course of a few days (right when a person's viral load is highest) for the best results.So if your resolution is to test cheaper and smarter in the new year, here's a primer on the best ways to use rapid tests to get the most useful results.<h2>You can't always trust a result within the first 2 days of exposure</h2>If you test yourself too early during the course of an infection, your test will turn up negative, regardless of whether you've got COVID-19 or not."There's a misconception if you've been exposed, you should get tested right away," Susan Butler-Wu, who directs clinical testing for infectious diseases at the University of Southern California, told Insider. "There's absolutely no utility to doing that if you just got exposed because the virus needs time to replicate."In fact, <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/testing/self-testing.html#anchor_1620925514532">the CDC currently only recommends</a> testing immediately if you have symptoms. If you're exposed, the CDC says to wait at least five days. If you get a negative result, test again in one-to-two days. Rapid tests are designed to yield positive results when your viral load is highest, and it takes at least a few days for it to get to that level. During that time, you may or may not develop symptoms of Omicron, which <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/omicron-symptoms-cough-runny-nose-mild-us-europe-cdc-2021-12">can include</a> cough, fatigue, and a runny nose."If it were me, and I were symptomatic starting today, I'd probably quarantine myself," Michael Mina, an epidemiologist and the chief <keyword id="11896083" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="science" source="Orion">science</keyword> officer at eMed, said during a call with journalists last year. "I would take the test tomorrow, and I would take the test in two or three days after that."Even if your first test is negative, it's possible you could already be spreading the Omicron variant.Tim Spector, the epidemiologist who runs the highly regarded <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/covid-19-delta-variant-symptoms-headache-runny-nose-sore-throat-2021-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Zoe COVID Study</a> in the UK, told Insider he was surprised to find Omicron and newer variants seemed to move "much faster" than Delta and other older strains of COVID-19.<div type="image" title="When your COVID-19 test is positive infographic." height="1793" width="2500" msid="88458909" hostid="261"></div>Early data he collected on a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/omicron-uk-birthday-party-became-superspreader-event-among-vaccinated-2021-12">birthday party of fully vaccinated adults</a> — who all took rapid tests before they arrived at the event — suggests someone can be infected with Omicron, not know it, and spread that infection to people who then go on to develop symptoms in just 48 hours."By the time people know they've definitely got it, they may have spread it," Spector said, adding that "the timing has to be just right" for tests.It "makes track and trace pretty impossible," he said, and that's a good argument for keeping holiday parties very small (he canceled his).Keep in mind: A low viral load (and thus, a negative rapid test) does not necessarily mean you're safe to mingle mask-free."If I have less virus, but now I'm sitting in a room with no windows open, in close proximity to somebody who's unvaccinated, I may still be infectious," Butler-Wu said. "I might be less infectious, but I can still transmit."<h2>If you've been exposed, isolate for 3 to 5 days — then test</h2>Experts say the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/lab/resources/antigen-tests-guidelines.html">best time</a> to administer a rapid test is generally somewhere between 3 to <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/testing-overview.html">5 days</a> after exposure to COVID-19. If you did get sick, that waiting period will give the virus enough time to start replicating inside your body and reproducing itself, which makes it more detectable on the test. Most rapid tests come in a two-pack. Take one shortly after your symptoms start, and save the other for 24 to 48 hours after the first, Butler-Wu said, and follow the package instructions carefully.And, she said, don't "randomly start swabbing various things" like your throat, unless that's what the test calls for (in theory, it's possible that drinking acidic substances like coffee or soda could <a href="https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/Spectrum.00683-21?_ga=2.249627270.1809718081.1640221910-1100409305.1640032203">lead to false positive</a> throat swabs).With Omicron and its various offshoots being so transmissible, "if you feel any symptoms, assume you have Omicron," Mina said, adding that he canceled his 2021 holiday plans to stay safe from the virus. "Don't be scared," he said. "You don't have to be extremely worried about it, but just assume it's Omicron and quarantine. And at that point, you can then take another test."<h2>PCR tests can detect the virus earlier, but experts still recommend waiting a few days</h2>In general, higher-quality PCR lab tests for COVID-19 (also known as molecular tests) <a href="https://www.fda.gov/media/140161/download">pick up lower levels of the virus more readily</a> than rapids do.That means they can detect the virus earlier in the course of your infection — generally, they can turn positive about a day before a rapid test.Still, it's best to wait several days after exposure for your PCR test, too, to really ensure an accurate result."If you're doing a PCR, and you do it at day five, that's pretty good," Butler-Wu said.Because of their <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/lab/naats.html">enhanced viral sensitivity</a> to the virus' genetic material, PCR tests will remain positive far longer than rapid tests do during the course of an infection, and they may continue to detect the virus for several weeks after a person feels better. "People like to say it's a 'false positive,' but it's not a false positive," Butler-Wu said of the long tail on PCR-test positivity."You had the virus at some point — we're still detecting remnants of it in a way that we don't detect with the antigen test," she added, referring to a rapid test.<h2>If you're planning to mingle, take a rapid test just as you arrive, not hours before</h2><div type="image" title="man at drive-thru testing site performs binaxnow rapid test on himself, as attendant waits at his window" height="1019" width="1360" msid="88458910" hostid="261"></div>Scientists are still zeroing in on when people are most likely to be infectious during the course of their Omicron illnesses. In the meantime, experts say an old-fashioned common-sense approach to disease prevention is best with this highly transmissible variant on the loose. "For the holidays, if you're symptomatic, just don't go," Mina said. "Always assume a symptomatic person's positive." Remember, getting a negative test right before an event can't protect you from the virus while you're there."It only takes one person to enter into a party and <a href="https://www.eurosurveillance.org/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2021.26.50.2101147">infect a lot of people</a>," Mina said. "Me testing negative before I walk into a party is not going to help me not become positive if somebody's breathing on me in that party."To protect yourself from falling victim to an Omicron exposure this holiday season, Mina recommends avoiding flights and large gatherings when necessary. But COVID-19 cases are largely down compared with this time last year, <a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#trends_weeklycases_select_00">according to the CDC's case tracker</a>. Butler-Wu agreed that a negative test didn't guarantee your safety. "It's <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8106729/">not an infectiousness test</a>," she said. A rapid test shows you "what's going on in your nose at that moment," she added, but many other factors, including the immune status of both the infected and the infecting person, ventilation, vaccination, and duration of exposure, can play a role in how well the disease spreads. <h2>'One layer of reducing risk'</h2><h2><div type="image" title="4 year old smiling in car seat, as dad performs nose swab on him for a rapid test" height="1399" width="2100" msid="88458911" hostid="261"></div></h2>The good <keyword id="11893589" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="news" source="Orion">news</keyword> is that so far, rapid antigen tests have been identifying the new variant well when timed right. Rapid tests home in on the <keyword id="11893194" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus" source="Orion">coronavirus</keyword>' nucleocapsid protein, which has just four mutations with Omicron.<a href="https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/coronavirus-covid-19-and-medical-devices/sars-cov-2-viral-mutations-impact-covid-19-tests?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=govdelivery#omicronvariantimpact">Early indications from the FDA</a> indicated rapid antigen tests are decent at detecting all the circulating coronavirus variants, but they aren't perfect."It needs to be seen as one layer of reducing risk, rather than it being the layer that eliminates risk, which is, sometimes, unfortunately, how I think it's portrayed," Butler-Wu said.

Rapid tests do not always detect Omicron &mdash; here's how to know for sure if you've got COVID-19 or not

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Approximately 12,000 students in <keyword id="6355838" type="LOCATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="new-york">New York</keyword> City have been removed from in-person learning over missing parental consent forms that would them to be randomly tested for <keyword id="8763838" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="covid-19">COVID-19</keyword>.</li><li>The students whose parents haven't signed consent forms will return to remote learning for the time being.</li><li><keyword id="6356508" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="school">School</keyword> officials said the students can return to in-person education after their forms are signed.</li></ul>New York City schools have removed about 12,000 students from in-person learning over missing parental consent forms that would allow them to be randomly tested for COVID-19, school officials said.Nathaniel Styer, a spokesman for the city Department of Education, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-24/nyc-ousts-12-000-students-from-in-person-class-over-test-forms">told Bloomberg</a> that the students will be moved to remote learning for the time being.Those removed from in-person learning were among 190,000 preschool, elementary and special education students who had returned to classrooms in early in December.All preschool and kindergarten-aged students - about 60,000 of the students who returned to the classroom - are exempt from random testing. New York <keyword id="6354750" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="health">health</keyword> officials are testing 20% of the remaining 130,000 students at random each week for COVID-19, but in order to participate, the children need permission from their parents."Due to the extensive efforts of our staff, 91% of students who need a consent form have one on file," Styer told <a href="https://www.silive.com/coronavirus/2020/12/12k-nyc-students-to-go-remote-due-to-lack-of-coronavirus-testing-consent-forms-doe-says.html">The Staten Island Advance</a>. "Students without consent forms, and who do not have approved exemptions, are transitioned to remote instruction."Health officials told Bloomberg that students who were removed from in-person learning will be able to return if they get their consent agreements signed by their parents.The reasons behind parents not signing consent forms remain unknown, but Styer <a href="https://www.silive.com/education/2020/12/updated-coronavirus-testing-in-schools-heres-what-si-students-can-expect.html">told the Staten Island Advance</a> that random testing can help stop the spread of COVID-19 in schools."By providing consent to testing, parents are making it possible for us to respond quickly to any positive cases, and we are able to provide more consistent in-person instruction to more students - safely," he said.

12,000 New York City students have been taken out of in-person learning because their parents haven't signed consent slips for random COVID-19 tests

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Five Indonesian lab workers were arrested and accused of washing and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/01/world/indonesia-covid-swabs-reused.html">reusing nasal swabs in up to 20,000 COVID-19 tests.</a></li><li>The workers could have <a href="https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3132224/reused-nose-swabs-indonesian-firm-faces-lawsuit-over-covid-19">made up to $125,000 from the alleged fraud</a> since mid-December, according to the local police chief.</li><li>Authorities are investigating whether anyone was infected with the virus as a result of the contaminated swabs.</li></ul>Five Indonesian lab workers were arrested last week and accused of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/01/world/indonesia-covid-swabs-reused.html">reusing nasal swabs</a> in rapid antigen COVID-19 tests, Richard C. Paddock and Dera Menra Sijabat reported for The New York Times.The workers are accused of using new swabs to test someone, then washing, repackaging, and using those same swabs to test others, per The Times. The lab workers worked for state-owned pharmaceutical company Kimia Farma at an airport testing site in the city of Medan.The local police chief told reporters that <a href="https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3132224/reused-nose-swabs-indonesian-firm-faces-lawsuit-over-covid-19">more than 9,000 people could have been affected</a> by the recycled tests, according to the South China Morning Post. The Times, however, puts that number much higher, reporting that the reused swabs could have been used in up to 20,000 COVID-19 tests. In <keyword id="8692" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Indonesia">Indonesia</keyword>, every passenger must show a negative test result before boarding a flight.The Kimia Farma lab workers could have made up to $125,000 in the scheme since mid-December, the police chief said, according to the Post. The company was charging about $14 per test, which the lab workers have been accused of pocketing each time they reused a swab.Erick Thohir, Indonesia's minister of state-owned companies, <a href="https://twitter.com/erickthohir/status/1388017458305396738">tweeted last week</a> that he "strongly condemns" the actions of the "unscrupulous" Kimia Farma workers."Such action must be subject to very strict punishment," he said.<div type="image" title="indonesia covid swab test" height="1434" width="1912" msid="82399822" hostid="261"></div>Authorities said they're investigating whether anyone was infected with the virus as a result of the contaminated swabs, per the Times. Police said they would implement random checks at testing centers around the country to catch any other potential similar schemes.Two Indonesian human rights lawyers, Ranto Sibarani and Kamal Pane, told the Post that they're <a href="https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3132224/reused-nose-swabs-indonesian-firm-faces-lawsuit-over-covid-19">planning to sue the pharmaceutical company</a> in a collective civil suit. The lawyers said they passed through Medan's airport multiple times between December 2020 and February 2021 while traveling between Medan and Jakarta for hearings.Sibarani told the Post he took at least 10 tests at the airport testing site in that period and that each test was an "awful experience" because he felt the lab workers were swabbing too deeply and swabbed his nose multiple times for one test."I feel that I am the victim of serious fraud and that I was violated through my nose," he told the Post.The attorneys, who did not immediately respond to an email from Insider, told the Post they're gathering statements from people who were potentially affected by the scheme and they plan to claim roughly $69,000 in damages for each affected person.Kimia Farma did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment for this story. <h2>Not enough testing for the world's fourth-largest population</h2>Indonesia, which has the <a href="https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?most_recent_value_desc=true">world's</a><a href="https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?most_recent_value_desc=true"> fourth-largest population</a> spread out over more than 17,000 islands, has reported 1,682,004 COVID-19 cases and 45,949 deaths throughout the pandemic, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.But experts the true number of cases is likely higher. In October, The Wall Street Journal reported that <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/indonesia-has-270-million-peopleand-one-of-the-worlds-lowest-covid-19-testing-rates-11602154803">Indonesia was far behind on COVID-19 testing</a>: It had tested a smaller percentage of its population than any other major economy.Only about <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/covid-vaccine-tracker-global-distribution/?sref=BLKWHazc">3% of Indonesia's 270 million population is fully vaccinated</a> so far, per Bloomberg's Vaccine Tracker.<div type="image" title="Two volunteers sit on a bench as they play the role of 'pocong', or known as 'shroud ghost', to make people stay at home amid the spread of coronavirus in Indonesia on April 1." height="1360" width="1813" msid="82399824" hostid="261"></div>The Indonesian government has faced criticism that it <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/4/22/indonesias-coronavirus-response-revealed-too-little-too-late">responded too slowly to the pandemic</a>. The country has also made headlines for its unusual methods of enforcing COVID-19 safety measures.In April 2020, as cases in parts of the country rose, <a href="https://www.insider.com/photo-indonesia-no-cases-to-second-most-deaths-in-asia-2020-4#in-april-ghosts-appeared-at-night-volunteers-would-play-the-role-of-pocong-or-the-shroud-ghost-to-make-people-stay-at-home-to-stop-the-spread-of-coronavirus-these-ghosts-represent-the-trapped-souls-of-the-dead-but-the-dress-up-backfired-and-people-actually-came-out-to-get-a-glimpse-of-them-haunting-the-streets-18">volunteers started dressing up as ghosts</a> and patrolling the streets to encourage people to stay home. But this plan backfired, as people came out of their homes to see the "ghosts."Later last year, residents of a district in East Java were punished for not wearing masks by being <a href="https://www.insider.com/indonesia-forcing-anti-maskers-to-dig-covid-19-victims-graves-2020-9">forced to dig graves for victims of the virus.</a> And in January 2021, police ordered <a href="https://www.insider.com/tourists-bali-push-ups-not-wearing-face-mask-2021-1">tourists in Bali to do 15 to 50 push ups</a> for not wearing a face mask in public if couldn't pay the $7 cash fine.

Lab workers in Indonesia have been accused of reusing nasal COVID-19 swabs in as many as 20,000 tests

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The <keyword id="16608" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Dominican-Republic">Dominican Republic</keyword> is hoping to entice tourists back to its sandy beaches by scrapping the requirement of a negative COVID-19 test.</li><li>Instead, visitors will be offered a free <keyword id="6354692" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Travel">travel</keyword> assistance plan until December 2020, <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/08/31/2086516/0/en/Dominican-Republic-Tourism-Minister-Announces-Progress-Made-On-Tourism-Recovery-Plan.html" target="_blank" title="(opens new window)" rel="noopener">according to a statement</a>. </li><li>From September 15, mass testing at airports will be replaced by random checks as part of the country's Responsible <keyword id="20048" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="tourism">Tourism</keyword> Recovery Plan.</li></ul>With many Caribbean nations competing for the economic boost of much-needed tourism dollars, the Dominican Republic made some policy changes to make visiting the island a bit easier.As part of its newly announced Responsible Tourism Recovery Plan, visitors will no longer be required to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test in order to enter the country, starting September 15.Additionally, mass testing will not be performed at the airport upon arrival, but will instead be done at random.To ease some of the concerns of would-be travelers, according to the Ministry of Tourism, tourists visiting a hotel will be offered a temporary, free travel assistance plan until December 2020.In addition to general emergency coverage, the free insurance plan covers COVID-19 testing, as well as cost coverage for long-term stays should a traveler fall ill or need to quarantine.<a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/08/31/2086516/0/en/Dominican-Republic-Tourism-Minister-Announces-Progress-Made-On-Tourism-Recovery-Plan.html" target="_blank" title="(opens new window)" rel="noopener">According to a statement</a> from the Dominican Republic Ministry of Tourism, the recovery plan "seeks to minimize the effects of the pandemic and promote a responsible recovery that prioritizes <keyword id="6354750" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="health">health</keyword>, maximizes the potential for job creation and economic growth, and encourages the sector to continue developing in a sustainable way."<div type="image" title="Dominican Republic" height="1124" width="1500" msid="77910612" hostid="261"></div>The four parts of the Responsible Tourism Recovery Plan include governance, risk management, communication, and financial support for the private sector.The plan includes a promotion and financing investment of $28 million, as well as a $7.1 million investment in other programs to guarantee air routes through an agreement with the airlines.Other portions of the plan include a loan guarantee program, credit help for small and medium-sized businesses, and more."We have been working on identifying and undertaking each of the elements that need to be adjusted and addressed so that the plan continues to progress," the Minister of Tourism, David Collado, said in a statement."Likewise, we are also working on strengthening our tourism offerings to ensure as a destination we are prepared for success in both the short and long term."Read more:<a href="https://www.insider.com/all-places-offering-discounts-freebies-incentives-entice-tourists-post-coronavirus-2020-6">All the countries offering incentives to tourists post-coronavirus, from free hotel stays to spa vouchers</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/all-inclusive-resort-package-remote-worker-2020-8">Resorts are enticing remote workers with packages that include personal trainers, spa sessions, and private cabanas</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/ranked-us-cities-with-the-cleanest-safest-airbnb-rentals-2020-9">Airbnb has revealed the 9 US cities where you'll find the cleanest, safest rentals</a>

The Dominican Republic is replacing mandatory tourist coronavirus tests with free insurance

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="124657" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Puerto-Rico">Puerto Rico</keyword> is requiring all visitors flying into the US territory to take a <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> test 72 hours before their arrival.</li><li>Those who don't, or who test positive, will be forced to quarantine for two weeks and take a molecular test while there.</li><li>All commercial flights will continue to be limited to Puerto Rico's main international <keyword id="6355752" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="airport">airport</keyword> in San Juan.</li><li>Puerto Rico is still struggling with the coronavirus, with record-high new infections last week, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/07/13/coronavirus-live-updates-us/">according to the Washington Post</a>.</li></ul>Those aching for a getaway after months stuck at home can now escape to Puerto Rico, but only if they take a coronavirus test first. Starting Wednesday, the US territory will require all arriving passengers at the <a>Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport — the only airport currently accepting commercial flights — to provide results from a recent molecular coronavirus test.</a>If the arriving passenger doesn't comply, or they provide a positive test result, they will be forced to quarantine and take a coronavirus test there, Governor Wanda Vázquez announced last month. In order to be released from quarantine, the passengers will be made to share those results with the airport, which will be assisted by the local National Guard.Arriving visitors will also need to fill out a <a href="https://www.sjuinsider.com/">declaration form</a> and wear a mask at the airport.July 15 kicks off the reopening of Puerto Rico's inbound tourism. Many recreational activities — like museums, spas, and theaters — have already reopened at 75 percent capacity. <a href="https://apnews.com/e8571cf25893af43f03fe6380d2d9e78">Sunbathing on beaches is allowed</a>, but groups are limited to members of the same household, according to the Associated Press. But the crisis is not yet over in Puerto Rico. The territory recorded a record-high average of new infections in the past week, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/07/13/coronavirus-live-updates-us/">according to the Washington Post</a>. As of Monday, 10,010 total cases of the coronavirus had been confirmed in Puerto Rico, an island of 3.2 million people. There have been at least 167 deaths, according to <a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html">data from Johns Hopkins University</a>.By requiring visitors arriving by plane to provide results from a nose or throat swab test, the government is hoping to limit the spread of the contagious virus. "We cannot let our guard down, especially with people who live elsewhere and are infected," <a href="https://apnews.com/e8571cf25893af43f03fe6380d2d9e78">Vázquez told the Associated Press</a>.The new rules come as US states like <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/florida-texas-coronavirus-cases-record-high-fourth-of-july-2020-7">Florida, Texas,</a> Arizona, and California battle a resurgence in cases.Messages sent to the Puerto Rico Department of <keyword id="6354750" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="health">Health</keyword> were not immediately returned. <h2>Those who violate quarantine orders face fines</h2>Puerto Rico Health Secretary Lorenzo González told reporters last month that the government will not be able to monitor every person ordered into quarantine.Puerto Rico will be using the "Sara Alert" monitoring system to randomly track passengers, he said.<div type="image" title="San Juan, Puerto Rico" height="1200" width="1800" msid="76947188" hostid="261"></div>Those who do not respond to the related phone calls, personal visits, and messages will be fined, he said."If you don't want to be tested, stay home," <a href="https://apnews.com/e8571cf25893af43f03fe6380d2d9e78">González told the Associated Pres</a><a href="https://apnews.com/863e66c41e5a5ded60b2e8beac2f485f">s</a>. "Don't come here and complicate our situation." Puerto Rico went into lockdown in March and began reopening its economy at the end of May. Airlines operating at the San Juan airport are at 56% capacity, and there has been a 76% drop in passengers, according to July 1 data provided by <a>Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport. </a>Carla Campos, executive director of Puerto Rico's Tourism Company, told the AP that the island expects to receive up to 9,000 passengers a day in the coming months. At the end of June, it was receiving around 4,500, according to the AP."We are certain that the assurances and security these measures provide, coupled with the experiences that make Puerto Rico such an attractive destination, will play a vital role in the short-term recovery of the <keyword id="6354692" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Travel">travel</keyword> industry of the Island," Campos said <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/puerto-rico-announces-it-will-be-open-for-travelers-on-july-15th-301079507.html">in a statement</a>.

Starting this week, pent-up travelers can escape to Puerto Rico — but not without a coronavirus test

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A horizontal line across the nail could be a sign of a previous <keyword id="8763838" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="covid-19">COVID-19</keyword>.</li><li>If "COVID <keyword id="157304" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Nails">nails</keyword>" were an infection marker it could be as useful as an antibody test, Prof Spector said. </li><li>The lines can happen on the fingers or toes and are harmless.</li></ul>Odd-looking nails could be a sign of previous <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> infection, a top UK scientist has said.Horizontal lines across the nail that appear several months after catching coronavirus can happen in both fingers and toes, Tim Spector, professor of genetic epidemiology at King's College, told Insider.Spector, who leads the world's largest coronavirus symptom study, said that he'd received multiple anecdotal reports of so-called COVID nails from people using the ZOE COVID Symptom Study app, a symptom tracker with <a href="https://covid.joinzoe.com/about" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more than 4 million users</a> globally.Spector's hunch is that this isn't a random phenomenon as it can happen after other infections too.The underlying theory is that a stress line forms after the body shuts down for a brief period of time to fight the infection. During this time period nails don't grow. It also can happen after other stresses like chemotherapy and severe malnutrition."It's like a mark on a tree when an event happened," Spector explained.Dr. Tanya Bleiker, president of the British Association of Dermatologists, <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/covid-nails-can-be-a-sign-you-had-the-virus_uk_60910996e4b0ccb91c35d788">told HuffPost UK </a>that dermatologists have seen COVID-19 patients with horizontal lines on their nails too."These changes have long been recognized as <a href="https://www.cmaj.ca/content/192/36/E1040" target="_blank" rel="noopener">'Beau's lines'</a> and are transverse indents in the nail of many, or all, fingernails and sometimes toenails," she said. Beau's lines are not harmful themselves and usually grow out after several months.Red, moon shaped lines across the nail are another coronavirus nail manifestation reported by <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ijd.15167" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dermatologists in August.</a>Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/covid-variants-called-escape-mutants-could-throw-us-back-into-lockdown-2021-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">How coronavirus variants called 'escape mutants' threaten to undo all our progress</a><h2>A cheap alternative to an antibody test </h2>Spector said that it's not yet clear whether the nail changes are linked to disease severity for coronavirus. With other infections, the more severe the disease, the more likely you are to have a marker on your nail, he said."It may be a marker of severe infection [for COVID-19], but it would be more helpful if it wasn't," Spector added.Spector explained that if nail changes were a marker of previous coronavirus infection then it could help people figure out whether they've had COVID-19 before without the need for a test that can be invasive and expensive."If we get enough numbers that are associated with asymptomatic COVID-19, that's a cheap antibody test," he said. "People just need to look down at their nails."

People are getting 'COVID nails,' and one expert says the unusual lines could be as useful as an antibody test to prove previous infection

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Millions of rapid <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> tests are slated to become available to people across the US next month.</li><li>The tests, which can yield results in around 15 minutes, are cheap and easy to produce, and require no lab work.</li><li>But they are generally not as accurate as laboratory PCR tests, and may need to be performed several times to get an accurate read on whether someone is actually sick. </li><li>"I would still say that distancing and outdoor air are your best friends," one expert said. </li></ul>US coronavirus testing is about to get a whole lot speedier. After months of testing shortages and delays using laboratory tests, the US is beginning to embrace a new kind of diagnostic coronavirus check: the point-of-care test, which can yield results in around 15 minutes, with no trip to a lab."We're not in a situation where every American can wake up in the morning and have a test that they get before they go to work, but there are plenty of tests, and that's growing substantially," Admiral <keyword id="9562854" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="brett-giroir">Brett Giroir</keyword>, the US coronavirus testing czar, said on a call with reporters on Wednesday. The trade-off in this quest for faster tests, and more tests available on-site at places like nursing homes, schools, and businesses, is accuracy."I would still say that distancing and outdoor air are your best friends, keep that in mind," Michael Osterholm, who directs the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, told Insider. That's because these newer, rapid tests are not as foolproof as the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-coronavirus-throat-tests-work-rt-pcr-method-explained-2020-4">laboratory kinds of checks</a> that have been in use for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, for months now.(Just ask Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, who recently had a rare false positive rapid test before he was slated to meet President Trump, an experience <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/covid-ohio-governor-says-false-positive-was-wake-up-call-2020-8">that led him to emphasize that quick tests should be</a> "looked at as a screening," and not definitive coronavirus diagnosis tools.) <h2>The US is planning to have 40 million rapid tests available next month, a dramatic uptick </h2><div type="image" title="rapid covid test antigen" height="1371" width="2200" msid="77684997" hostid="261"></div>Coronavirus test results in the US have typically taken multiple days to return, a delay that helps propel the virus's spread."The majority of the testing is absolutely useless, because the results don't come back in 24 hours," <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-gates-us-coronavirus-testing-system-is-absolutely-useless-slow-2020-7">Bill Gates recently told Insider</a>. With the virus still taking hold in many pockets of the country, rapid tests — though imperfect — are on track to become the country's next big tool in better fighting the pandemic. "In September, we should have upwards of approximately 90 million, nine-zero-million tests available," Giroir said. "Probably about 40 million of that will be point-of-care."If his monthly forecast holds true, it would be a remarkable uptick in US testing, more than doubling the number of tests the country has performed to date (74.8 million so far, according to Giroir). <h2>These tests are intended for people in essential services and vulnerable populations, not the general public</h2><div type="image" title="nursing home coronavirus spread " height="1463" width="2200" msid="77685000" hostid="261"></div>Giroir argues that the tests could be especially useful in places with major outbreaks, like nursing homes and schools. "Random testing of healthy people, just all over the country, is not what we're advocating for," he said. "Point-of-care tests are extremely useful if you have symptomatic people, or if you're contact tracing, or if you're in a place like a nursing home where we're going to be testing repeatedly."Giroir called this quick brand of antigen testing an "old school" viral technique that's useful because it is cheap, and production can happen fast. (Antigen testing has been <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/lab/resources/antigen-tests-guidelines.html#anchor_1597521649237">used before to detect influenza</a> and other respiratory viruses.)"You can lose a little sensitivity, which generally these tests do, because you're going to have repeat testing," he said. "A little bit of loss of sensitivity, particularly in a nursing home, if you can get a rapid turnaround, beats a very highly sensitive test at a two- or three-day turnaround."But many people are already using <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dont-rely-on-rapid-covid-19-tests-party-see-parents-2020-8">rapid test results in more dangerous ways</a>, as a kind of permission slip to live life and party as if the coronavirus didn't exist. "The question is, at what point do you feel comfortable if you're going to put yourself or others at risk of infection?" Osterholm said. "These tests can sometimes be a deterrence to exercising good judgment."<h2>How rapid tests work</h2><div type="image" title="rapid covid test " height="1497" width="2200" msid="77685002" hostid="261"></div>Most rapid tests work by hunting for the presence of coronavirus antigens in fluid samples collected from a sick person's nose or throat. Antigen tests scan for bits of protein that sit on or in the coronavirus, instead of doing a more in-depth scouring for the virus's genetic code, like <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-coronavirus-throat-tests-work-rt-pcr-method-explained-2020-4">molecular lab tests (RT-PCR</a>) do.Because there are <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2020/08/19/assistant-secretary-health-admiral-brett-giroir-statement-fda-eua-lumiradx-uk-ltds-lumiradx-sars.html">so few of the rapid antigen tests</a> approved for use in the US (just <a href="https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19-emergency-use-authorizations-medical-devices/vitro-diagnostics-euas#individual-antigen">three have been granted emergency authorization by the US Food and Drug Administration </a>thus far), it's tough to know exactly how well they perform. Osterholm estimates the tests may pick up on somewhere around 7 to 8 in every 10 coronavirus infections, leaving 20 to 30% of coronavirus patients in the dark about their status, and blissfully thinking they're virus-free. (A false positive test result, like DeWine's, is rarer than a false negative.) "Rapid antigen tests are particularly helpful if the person is tested in the early stages of infection" the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/lab/resources/antigen-tests-guidelines.html#table1">US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in guidance</a> about the rapid tests released last week, emphasizing they work best on people with a high viral load (usually, a person's viral load is highest in their first day or two of infection). <h2>Rapid tests should not be used as a permission slip to be reckless</h2><div type="image" title="free rapid covid test india" height="1467" width="2200" msid="77685004" hostid="261"></div>Cheap rapid tests have already been dispatched in other places around the world to track the virus, including in free-of-charge government testing on the streets of New Delhi, India, and among <a href="https://frankd.geneme.eu/">sports teams and vacationers</a> in the UK and Poland.But even if rapid coronavirus test results are accurate more often than not, they are not a free passport to carefree living right now. Being in close proximity to other people and their germs is still a risky prospect. "A negative test one day does not mean you're going to be negative the next day," Giroir said.

You Searched For "random coronavirus testing" and got 9 results

America's COVID-19 testing strategy isn't working. Let's test more people at random, and be more precise about when to get tested.

Andrea Michelson,Hilary Brueck

'Swab your throat first and then your nose': 4 disease experts offer new guidance on COVID-19 rapid tests

Aria Bendix,Hilary Brueck

Rapid tests do not always detect Omicron here's how to know for sure if you've got COVID-19 or not

Hilary Brueck,Shayanne Gal

12,000 New York City students have been taken out of in-person learning because their parents haven't signed consent slips for random COVID-19 tests

Kelly McLaughlin

Lab workers in Indonesia have been accused of reusing nasal COVID-19 swabs in as many as 20,000 tests

Katie Warren

The Dominican Republic is replacing mandatory tourist coronavirus tests with free insurance

Jessica Poitevien

Starting this week, pent-up travelers can escape to Puerto Rico — but not without a coronavirus test

Haven Orecchio-Egresitz

People are getting 'COVID nails,' and one expert says the unusual lines could be as useful as an antibody test to prove previous infection

Dr. Catherine Schuster-Bruce

Millions of coronavirus tests that can deliver results in 15 minutes will be available in September, but they're less accurate

Hilary Brueck

Popular Keywords

Buying Guides