I will never take one of those tetst again, WHY? The protocol for having COVID is the same as if you have a cold or flu. Move on people.

Thanks for the info & link.

Thank you, @schoolhouse_gwagain, for the link. I like to have them on hand.

Thanks for the link.

There may be reasons not to do the at home test...mainly that they are not that accurate and the test done by the dr can tell you if you have the flu, covid or rsv. They can also do a strep test, so will give you more accurate and broader info than a simple covid test. However, the covid test at the Drs office is so sensitive, you will test positive for months after you're over it whereas the at home test will not.

Also nice to just know for yourself it it's Covid or a cold. I will isolate myself if it's Covid to not expose my grands or others.

" I will never take one of those tetst again, "

Most people are far more thoughtful on the topic. The ones who do feel this way would likely be embarrassed for others whose opinions they are uncertain about to know.

I work in healthcare ... and I'm sorry but I don't think *most* people are far more thoughtful about covid than the average person. We had a hospital policy that if you tested positive for covid or had symptoms... you weren't supposed to show up for scheduled appointments. Many did. And once the patient showed up, we were required to see the patient despite the risk it posed to hospital workers. Policy be damned.

I get it... appointments are hard to come by... but many people will put themselves above others... even in non-emergency situations.

Oh, and the one time I did contract covid (from work) it was a week after the government stopped paying for missed time... it cost me 10 days of vacation time.

Cheers....

Sorry if my comment was unclear to you. I believe most people are more thoughtful and concerned about their own health than the person whose comment I was referring to. People you describe were SO concerned about their own health that they didn't give two shakes about endangering the health of others. They were only concerned about themselves.

Thank you

I had my flu & latest covid vaccine last week. I'm taking the precautions that are available. Also ordered the new tests. I don't want to be the seriously ill person in the hospital wishing I'd made better decisions.

Thank you. I had bookmarked the site already, planning to order when available again. The day after my nephew experienced life threatening injuries in a fall, DH tested positive on one of those home tests. Nephew was asking for us and we couldn't go. Worse, a few days later I caught it from DH and we still couldn't go. We could not risk going into that trauma center and ICU ward and infecting anyone already weakened. Without the test kit we would have, neither of us were particularly sick. Believe me, I cried buckets that week.

5 months later he is greatly improved. He is working remotely from home. Going to PT several times a week, and beginning to walk again when they had made no promises he would reach that goal....With a little more time and hard work he's going to be fine.

The 'what ifs' are huge. What if we'd infected him, someone in the hallway, elevator - it's more than I want to think about.

Thanks very much. My covid experiences have been with relatively subtle symptoms so if I feel a little ‘off’ it’s nice to know whether I can go to work or not.

those tests aren't free ... we taxpayers are paying for them. just to be clear.

@bragu_DSM 5 Of course, you’re correct. The ’free’ tests are our tax $$ at work. All the more reason to take advantage of the opportunity to order them & have on hand for all the good reasons noted by many of the posters here.

It’s money well spent. Many cannot afford these tests, so the more free testing there is, the better!

Thanks for the info. Order placed.

Thanks, Schoolhouse.

I otdered some new ones, since I care about protecting other people….

Thanks, Schoolhouse. I had to buy some a few months ago when my husband felt sick and was surprised at the price. (He turned out to be positive, and was sick for about a week, so it was important to know and not pass it on.)

I test, I ordered, I thank you for the information. But in thinking about Arcy’s comment, I’m having a little difficulty coming up with an objective argument. I’m quite sure she’s not suggesting to go around and spread germs when you're sick, but rather to minimize the risk of spreading illness regardless of what's causing it. So going with that, here are a few questions:

1) If you would be more careful to isolate if you have covid, this implies you'd be less careful with the flu. How do you justify this?

2) Do you, and did you prior to covid, test each time you don’t feel well to see what’s wrong? Cold vs flu? Even with more minor symptoms?

3) Other than staying away from people until you’re feeling better, what protocols do you follow for cold, flu, and covid? Compare and contrast.

4) Can you point to guidance for preventing spread, that differs between flu and covid? Objective guidance that won’t vary from one ”reputable source” to the next?

Here’s hoping for some civil dialogue!

I think that Arcy does not care about anyone.

Check where these “tests” are manufactured! The ones we got several years ago, were made in China! I threw them out. Do what you have to do but don’t be tricked by bad information mainly from the government sources. Keeping our own immune systems is best policy.

Flo, the tests I still have, from the last batch the govt sent out, were made by Abbot Labs, which has manufacturing plants in Maine and Illinois.

foas, if there were an at-home test that could tell me which virus I had, that would be great. Faute de mieux, as the French say, in all cases I stay home until my symptoms are basically resolved so as not to infect anyone else. As for protocols, in all cases, chicken soup!

Flo just ordered mine this morning..it was on the morning show..so did it asap! covidtests.gov

Getting COVID can be dangerous for people with certain pre-existing conditions- such as asthma. My niece, who is a physician, got this season’s COVID and was miserable for over a week with symptoms no one wants. I happily take the vaccine if it has any chance of preventing Covid.

Having these updated home tests is a way to keep you informed, so you can call a doctor promptly.

"The ones we got several years ago, were made in China! I threw them out. Do what you have to do but don’t be tricked by bad information mainly from the government sources"

Oh my goodness. It's another conspiracy!

I ordered mine from .covidtests.gov

Supposed to ship them by the 30th.

I got them because covid is still around.

foodonastump i do believe you nailed it. I didn't need Covid to know how to wash my hands, stay away from crowds during cold and flu season, keep my distance from those who appear ill and stay home if I am ill. All those practices continued to work pretty well for me during the pandemic. As far as I know I had Covid once and it was the later omicron version. I know for certain only because DH was tested and we were sick at the same time.

He had the first two shots, I had none. Both of us had similar effects. I stayed home for 5 days. If you think about almost every viral respiratory illness is contagious before one knows they are ill. With almost every other illness the advice given was often that if you have a fever wait 24 hours after it passes. I don't know why Covid was treated differently. I suppose because of all the unknowns in the beginning. I do know it caused a lot of mental health damage in the process of figuring it out. I also know that I have personally lost quite a number of friends in my age group not from Covid but from failing health due to locking themselves away for almost two years. During that time they lived sedentary lifestyles with less healthy eating habits and simply exacerbated existing conditions. Some passed away and many are having a difficult time managing their current health issues.

I have zero regrets for following my gut instincts. I'm actually in better health today than I was before Covid. Mostly due to dropping some extra pounds and becoming more, not less active. Plus surrounding myself with people of all ages focused on living well rather than putting their lives on hold waiting for the magical day when all be be "normal".

People who warn you to not trust the government seem to have no problem getting on a plane and trusting their lives to the Air Traffic Control System. Or driving on roads and highways, bridges and freeways designed and maintained by the government, We put a lot of trust in traffic lights, for example. We drive cars with safety features mandated by govt. We trust our Fire Departments and Medics, government entities to save our homes and loved ones. We rely on Govt run weather information to help us stay safe and heed their warnings. If you don't trust govt, then don't trust any of it.

Wht is perhaps the MOST different about Covid is Long Covid, and even a mild case can result in some version of it, some of which are truly dreadful. And none of which are treatable.

Common sense tells me if I had Cold symptoms-would not stop me from going out and about-although I would just naturally not get too close to someone-just like before Covid. Colds never stopped me from going to work etc before Covid. If I would ever of had flu symptoms-of course I would stay home. The only time I've had flu symptoms was in Sept 2020 and it was tested as Covid. Same as flu symptoms I guess-except for loss of smell, since I had never had the flu before. Never flu shots or Covid shots to this day.

Haven't had even a cold since 2020-which is strange to me. I've had my Tcells checked periodically, the last one in January 2024, and my immunity is off the charts.

Oly, with all due respect-no one should ever trust the govt wholeheartedly. For one, the govt gave us the pyramid food chart for how many years?? The govt CAN and has been be wrong!

We also placed an order for the covid tests and have scheduled our updated shots for next week. If another major covid outbreak occurs in the coming months then having these tests available now is better than not. The blowback for the government being shortsighted would be immediate.