, Columnist
As At-Home Rapid Tests Replace PCRs, We Need Better Guidance
Covid antigen test kits come with reams of fine print. A simple, color-coded decision tree would work much better.
OK, but now what?
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Rapid antigen tests have been among the tools many public health experts and politicians have to ease into “living with Covid.” But many people are still skeptical about the tests’ reliability.
The bigger problem may be with the advice people are getting on how to use them. It’s never been clear to the public precisely when to test or how to act on the results if you’ve been exposed or feel sick, or whether a negative test can shorten an isolation period for someone who’s been infected. And what counts as an exposure — what if you were with a friend who got a cold but never got tested?