Omicron now represents 73% of all COVID cases in the United States. As cases of Omicron surge, at-home COVID testing has become even more prevalent.
However, many Americans are uncertain about what steps to take immediately after a negative test. They also wonder about the efficacy of those tests. False positives, false negatives, and general uncertainty are all factors in this. Especially as holiday gatherings take place.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that there’s been a six-fold increase in Omicron infections over the last week. Delta had been the most-common variant until recent days.
Much about the variant remains unknown. Especially in terms of severity and success of COVID-19 vaccines against it. However, there are things health experts say everyone can do to slow the spread- including masking, vaccinating, and boosting if already vaccinated.
What should you do after testing positive for COVID-19 at home?
The next steps are crucial, according to health experts. They encourage people who test positive with an at-home COVID swab to get a PCR or antigen test done at an official testing site.
https://cnycentral.com/news/local/i-tested-positive-with-an-at-home-test-what-do-i-do-next
This ensures accuracy of the result, and also guarantees that it will be logged with official counts.
At-home tests have been difficult to find as of late. They are reliable, but experts say they are not 100%.
The state and counties are working together to distribute at-home COVID tests free of charge ahead of the holidays.
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How else can I obtain an at-home COVID test?
If you have insurance through MVP Health Care you qualify for at-home testing. The service is being provided through a partnership with healthcare systems throughout the U.S.
“You might be stuck home, in quarantine, or exposure situation, they’ll come to your house, instead of you having to go out into the community and find a testing source,” Dr. Kimberly Kilby said, with MVP Health Care.
MVP is partnering with Scarlet Health to make it happen. The service is being provided in New York and Vermont at this point.
If a person chooses to go this route- MVP will ask the individual if they want to get the COVID test at home or at work. Then, they will choose a time slot. The healthcare professional is then trackable right to your location.
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