The Cue Reader: An At-Home Diagnostic Tool for Detection of SARS-CoV-2 at a Walmart, Drugstore, or Traveler’s Desk
I’ve tried a dozen at-home Covid tests over the past year. If it’s on the shelf at a drugstore, pharmacy, or grocery store, I’ve probably used it multiple times. When I am testing, I always reach for the instruction manual, mostly because I fear I will messed up a crucial step. It’s been a constant reminder of why I prefer using Cue Health’s Cue Reader diagnostic tool over any other at-home test. There is no tubes, solutions, cassettes or test strips here.
Due to a lack of federal funding, the at- home Covid test program has been suspended. Funding for free Covid testing locations is running out, along with partial insurance coverage for at-Home tests, which include free vaccines and medication. This might mean that restocking your at-home stash may become more expensive these next few months. Investing in a cue reader isn’t so crazy anymore.
Cue Health’s at-home test centers around a small central hub called the Cue Reader, which can detect a virus’ genetic material. Known as a molecular test, it’s typically more accurate than an antigen (also known as a rapid test) and comparable to a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, with the ability to identify small traces of SARS-CoV-2 earlier—potentially even a day or two before you start feeling any symptoms. That can be critical when trying to prevent the spread of the virus. 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). According to this independent study, Cue’s at-home molecular test also demonstrated 99.4% accuracy compared to lab-based PCR tests.
The reader does not seem to look 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 threw it in my luggage when I went to California this past summer, but I also stash it in my duffle when I go home to visit my parents. It’s rechargeable, so you don’t have to worry about replacing batteries (I just keep it plugged in at my desk).
The Reader comes with a few cartridges, and just like how you’d push Super Mario World into the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, you first need to push one of these cartridges into the reader and wait for it to warm up. The app tells you to use the included wand to put your nose into the cartridge. 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 Get Free At-Home Tests: How to Order Free Covid-19 Tests with a One-Year WIRED Subscription
A one-year subscription to WIRED is $5 and you can get a $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.
Go straight to the US Postal Service’s Covid-19 page. If you click on the front page, you’re going to see a blue bubble that says “Order Free At- Home Tests”. You can click that to go to the USPS page. You have to enter your name and address. You should include your email address to receive shipping notifications. Once you’ve filled in your address, click the green Check Out Now button to the right. It’s completely free, including shipping. One person per household should make the 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 own, so don’t call the USPS.
Source: https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-get-free-covid-19-tests/
Rapid At-Home COVID-19 Tests and Where to Find Them? A Game-Changing Story About Contagious Diseases in the United States
The first round of tests took some time to arrive, but the second one arrived in a few days. There is no guarantee as to what brand you will get, but the Food and Drug Administration authorized tests are available at home. You’ll receive iHealth tests we recommend.
The Centers for Disease Control say you should take a test if you begin to notice any symptoms within five days. If your first test is negative, you should take a second test based on the manufacturer’s instructions. This is usually within two to three days of the first test—most tests come with two tests per box for this reason. If your test is positive, take another test to verify it and quarantine for five days.
Please check out our guide on Rapid At- Home Covid-19 tests and where to find them. More information about accuracy is contained in it. Rapid tests usually show results in about 15 minutes, and they’re about 85 percent accurate.
You thought you’d done with the virus after getting sick with it. 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 doable to get corvid again after recovering from a case?
You are still testing positive after ten days after catching COVID-19. The line on the test is much fainter than last week. What’s the deal? Exactly how contagious am you?
If you’ve used a do-it-yourself COVID-19 home test in the U.S. — the “antigen” rapid tests that promise results in 15 minutes or so — you know the drill. You swirl a cotton swab into your nostrils and mix it with liquid and then drop it on a test strip to find out if it is positive or negative for the coronaviruses. There’s a debate on where to put the cotton swab, it seems like it might be the throat and cheek. Is there a medical science to back up the hack?
Is it lonely out there as a solo masker? A recent analysis of how omicron impacted the public space with chins and noses
It is lonely out there as a solo masker because of the exposed chins and noses. Will you still get protection if you’re the only one in a public space with a mask?
Studies conducted prior to the arrival of the omicron variant show that being outside greatly reduces your risk of infection with the coronavirus. A review found that indoor transmission is 19 times more likely than outdoor transmission. Does omicron play by the same rules?