Understanding your COVID testing options is especially important in big cities or areas where you are around large bodies of people. While the spike of COVID in the United States has seen a significant decline since the advent of the COVID vaccines and the use of social distancing techniques, some pharmacies are experiencing a dwindling amount of COVID vaccines in their supply cabinets, while others have too many patients unwilling to stand in line to get vaccinated. If you've been vaccinated it isn't necessary to test unless you are experiencing symptoms.
Can You Tell if You Have COVID?
Psychosomatic symptoms found in people were more common when the hysteria was high. According to the CDC, here are the most common symptoms of the disorder: fever or chills, fatigue, cough, shortness of breath, headache, loss of smell, and body aches. Other common ailments can also come with these symptoms. That's why COVID testing is so important. You may be experiencing an outbreak of the flu or have the common cold and are mistaking it for COVID. Your doctor can tell the difference. Those without health insurance may want to look at these five different COVID tests and choose their favorite:
CLINITEST Rapid Covid-19 Antigen Self-Test
COVID testing at home has become increasingly more affordable. With 5 test monitors in a pack of the CLINITEST pack, it's enough for the average American family. Did you guys just get back from a big outing? For only $10 a person, you can tell if the whole family has COVID with this pack. It comes in at $50 and is as simple as swabbing the inside of your nasal cavity.
The CLINITEST Rapid COVID-19 test takes 15 minutes to give you clear and accurate results. Those who are 14 years or older should be able to safely use the device by themselves. Younger people can use it with the help of a parent or guardian. This test will also show variants of the disease that other home testing units cannot identify. The delta and omicron variant will show up as a positive on this home kit. It's simple to use with you just swabbing the inside of your nasal cavity, inserting the swab in the tub and adding a drop into the cassette.
DxTerity COVID-19 Saliva at-Home Collection Kit
Tired of the discomfort of nasal cavity swabs? While the test above comes with five home testing tubes and the results can be read within minutes at a cheaper rate, this one requires the use of only saliva. It may produce more accurate readings because your saliva is actually shipped back to a lab. All you have to do is log onto DXTeriity's phone app after sending your sample in.
With ease of use comes a heftier price tag at $85 per person. It is sold in a ten pack for $840. While expensive, it could exonerate your whole office building and allow them to come back in those areas where the delta variant has hit hard.
iHealth COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test
The IHealth COVID test pack comes with one for you and one for your lover. It's one of the cheapest available at only $17.98. It only takes the test 15 minutes to detect any antigen that may signal that you're currently suffering from the corona virus.
One remark you can make about this model is its ability to comfortably test for the virus. It does not have to be inserted far up the nose for the detection of antigens. You'll know whether it's safe to go into work or school before the end of breakfast. While possibly failing on those who are just starting to become symptomatic, it's affordable and fast.
On/Go at-Home COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Self-Test
On/Go allows you to send COVID testing to someone else's door using the app. It's perfect for friends who are looking to get COVID testing done. ON/GO is perfect for you if you aren't excellent at following directions as the app seamlessly guides you through the procedure. Is that germaphobic friend giving you fits? The app also allows you to effortlessly share results. It can be found at a moderate value of 2 test strips for $24. It's sold in a quantity for as high as $449.99.
EmpowerDX at-Home COVID-19 Nasal PCR Test
This model is as accurate as the one your physician uses. Without health insurance, it's the same price or cheaper. What I really love about this at home COVID exam is how fast the lab gets you your results once you turn it in. If you need to prove to your boss that you're COVID free quickly, the lab examines your mucous for pathogens within 48 hours of receiving the test tube back. This home test might be better for older people because it uses a website instead of a phone app to give you the test results you need. EmpowerDX is pricier at $99. With that, it's quickness and accuracy can't be beat.
Testing Is Important
For most people, life involves group activities. Unfortunately, we all run the risk of infecting each other when those events take place. COVID is a serious disease that's highly infectious. While we're all happy most of our meetings are now in person, we still need to be cautious around other people as new variants are constantly coming out. Getting at home testing done will keep you and your loved ones safe during this difficult time.
