The Cue Reader: A Simple App for Taking a Test without Feeling Like a Science Experiment on Your Neural Network
I never thought about taking the test, but that is what I love most about this system. Yes, you still need to swab your nostrils, but the rest is just so darn easy and doesn’t feel like a science experiment. There are no tubes for solution. The Reader Cue is in charge of everything. It works via Bluetooth, so you’ll need a smartphone to use the Reader, but it’s simple to set up. You have to make an account to pair the Cue Reader with your phone. When you are done taking the test, open the app and look over the steps. There are few steps that are easy to memorize.
The Compact Cue Reader: Detecting Covid-19 Viruses at Home without Using Batteries or Discharged Batteries
As of January 15, 2022, insurance companies (both private and group health plans) are required to cover eight FDA-approved over-the-counter Covid-19 tests per person each month. There is no limit on the amount of test that can be taken if they are ordered through or administered by a health care provider.
The test at home is based on a central hub called the Cue Reader, which can detect virus genetic material. The test is called amolecular test because it is more accurate and can detect small traces of the coronaviruses earlier than a rapid test, which usually takes a day or two. It’s important to make sure the spread of the virus is prevented. Cue says its test has an accuracy rate of 97.8 percent (just behind the single-use Lucira at-home molecular test, which the company claims is 98 percent accurate). In a study, the at home test demonstrated 99.4% accuracy, compared to lab-based tests.
The compact Cue Reader is not ugly. I keep it on my desk, but I can also see it resting on an entryway table or kitchen counter. It is easy to travel with. I put it in my luggage when I went to California and then stashed it in my duffle as I went home to visit my parents. You don’t have to worry about the batteries being replaced since it’s rechargeable.
The reader has a couple of items, and like how you would try to get Super Mario World into the game console, first you have to push one of them into it, and then wait for it to warm up. Once the app says the product is ready, you can put your nose in it with the included wand. That’s it! After 20 minutes, you can check your results on your phone and, if needed, send the results as a PDF through email or text. Cleanup is also a breeze, though perhaps just as wasteful as other at-home kits—remove the cartridge from the reader and throw it out.
How to Order Free At-Home Tests From The US Postal Service Using a 1-Year WIRED.com Subscription Policy
It’s possible to get a 1- year subscription to WIRED for $5, which is $25 off. This includes unlimited access to WIRED.com and our print magazine (if you’d like). Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day.
Head directly to the US Postal Service’s Covid-19 page. If you go to Covidtests.gov you should see a blue bubble on the front page explaining how to order free at- home tests. Clicking that leads you to the USPS page. There, you’ll fill out your name and address. You can get shipping notifications if you include your email address. Once you’ve filled in your address, click the green Check Out Now button to the right. It’s completely free, including shipping. Only one person per household should place a request.
If you’d rather place an order by phone or you know someone who doesn’t have access to the internet, you can call a helpline at 1-800-232-0233, though you will likely be on hold for a while. No one will be able to place orders for you on your behalf if you call the USPS.
Source: https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-get-free-covid-19-tests/
How Fast Can You Get COVID-19 at Home? A Case Study on Rapid At-Home Antigen Tests and Where to Find Them
The second round of tests arrived soon after the first round, but took weeks to arrive. There’s no guarantee of what you’ll be getting, but the website claims these are FDA-approved at- home rapid antigen tests. You will most likely get the iHealth tests we recommend.
You should take a test as soon as you start to notice symptoms or within five days of exposure, according to the Centers for Disease Control. If you are positive on your first test, then take another one based on the manufacturer’s instructions. The first test is usually within two to three days depending on the test. If your test is positive, take another test to verify it and quarantine for five days.
If you need a test ASAP, please check our guide on Rapid At-Home Covid-19 Tests and Where to Find Them. It also has more information about accuracy. The tests are usually done in less than 15 minutes and are 85 percent accurate.
You got sick with COVID so you figured you were done with the virus for a while. Then you began feeling a scratchy throat and a runny nose, took a home test just in case — and that second line blazed red once again. Is it possible to get COVID again just a few months or even weeks after recovering from a case?
You may have caught Covid-19, but 10 days later you are still positive. The line on the test is not as big as a week ago. What’s the deal? Exactly how contagious am you?
The “antigen” rapid tests that promise results in 15 minutes or so, are a do-it-yourself test you know the drill about. You typically swirl a cotton swab around in your nostrils, mix it with some liquid and then drop it on a test strip to await the results: positive or negative for the coronavirus. There is a debate about where the cotton swab should be placed, with some people saying the throat and cheek are better places to place it. Why did this hack emerge, and what is the medical science to back it up?
Ordering Covid-19 rapid at-home tests from the FDA: How to find a safe place for all in the public space without wearing a mask
Alone in the sea of exposed chins and noses can be lonely. Will you still get protection even if you’re the only person in a public space wearing a mask?
Prior to the omicron variant’s arrival, there were studies indicating that being outside reduces your risk of getting the coronaviruses. One review of studies concluded that the odds of indoor transmission are almost 19 times higher than outdoor transmission. Does omicron play by the same rules?
The pandemic isn’t over. Regardless of how small your circle is, it’s still very possible to contract and spread Covid-19. It is important to get tested every now and then, along with getting vaccinations and wearing a mask. There are free testing sites across the country, but those pressed for time can trade in the long lines for rapid at-home Covid tests, which can provide results in 15 minutes or so.
With hundreds of options, it’s tough to know which one to buy (if they’re even in stock). Below, we’ve rounded up options—based on FDA authorization and availability—to help make the search easier. You can also now order the third round of free at-home tests from the US government (if you haven’t already). Members of our team have used some, but not all, of these tests.
Earlier this year, the Biden administration launched several rounds of rapid at-home tests for distribution across the US. Here’s our guide to ordering your free rapid Covid-19 tests. You’ll receive four rapid antigen Covid-19 tests per order.
Abbot’s BinaxNow kit provides results within 15 minutes of swabbing your nose and inserting the sample into the included test card. You can use the companion app to self-report your results. The person who test negative will receive a digital pass that is used as proof of their test result. With two tests in each box, the company recommends taking another one no sooner than 24 hours but no later than 48 hours. Several members of the team used the test. It was straightforward to use with clear instructions, but we can’t verify its level of accuracy.
The Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization on Friday for the first at-home test that can simultaneously detect both COVID-19 and the flu.
There weren’t enough influenza B cases while Lucira was testing the product to measure that performance, so the company says it will have to do a real-world test when there is enough virus in circulation. In lab studies, 99% of the cases were negative.
At-Home Infectious Disease Testing: A Case Study in the COVID-19 Epidemic and the Post-Correlation Between the CDC, FDA, and Health Care Providers
Studies show that an at-home test can be less accurate than a lab test because users might not get enough of a sample for a valid result. Health-care providers also may have more sensitive tests.
The Covid-19 pandemic changed the opinion of doctors, who previously were reluctant to leave testing to their patients. Studies have found that people don’t need medical training to test themselves for respiratory illnesses.
The data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that deaths and hospitalizations have begun to fall over the past few weeks. Rates of flu hospitalizations have gone down according to the CDC.
The FDA says that 14 and older people are able to do the test on their own. Those between the ages of 2 and 13 can be helped by an adult.
“We are eager to keep pushing for more access to at- home infectious disease testing to support public health needs in the future,” he said.
The test was developed by Lucira Health, a California-based company that was also the first to receive FDA approval for at-home rapid COVID tests back in 2020.
Individuals who test negative but continue to experience symptoms of fever, cough or shortness of breath should also follow up with their health care provider in case of other respiratory viruses, the FDA said.
The dual-purposed test comes after a surge of COVID, the flu and respiratory syncytial virus — or RSV — that strained hospitals across the country last fall.