Need to add a throat swab to your Covid-19 test at home? | SmartNews

To increase the confusion among Americans about how to navigate the Covid-19 pandemic, some medical professionals disagree on how to best use rapid antigen testing at home. I am. Early evidence suggests that wiping the throat in addition to the nose may increase the likelihood that the test will detect the highly contagious Omicron variant faster, but the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). ) States that the home kit should only be used as instructed.

Salivary swabs are frequently used in the diagnosis of other respiratory infections such as influenza and rhinovirus, and recent studies suggest that Covid-19 may also be useful.While Omicron variant Duplicate 70 times faster than Delta In variants of the human respiratory tract, lung infections appear to be less serious. This means that Omicron infections can remain undetected for longer, especially with rapid antigen testing at home.

Recent preprints study Of the 30 participants in New York and California, rapid tests such as the Abbott Binax NOW and Quidel QuickVue tests found that Covid-19 was not detected during the first few days of an individual’s infection. It took an average of 3 days for the rapid antigen test to be positive after the first positive PCR result. Researchers have also found that viral load peaks in saliva 1-2 days before it peaks on tests taken from nasal swabs. This suggests that throat swabs may detect Covid-19 more than nasal swabs alone. STAT..

Home tests in a recent study did not detect the virus early after infection, but each test eventually gave a positive result. Home tests may not work well for early detection of infection, but false positives are rare.

another Preprint survey South Africans have discovered that salivary swabs may be superior to nasal swabs in detecting Omicron as a mutant. According to Emily Antes and Christina Juette, in this study, using saliva samples taken by rubbing saliva samples in the mouth instead of nasal samples showed a higher rate of Omicron infection in the PCR test. understand. New York Times..

People infected with Omicron appear to get sick faster, so “this means that the virus may not yet have propagated in the nose in the first test.” Tweet Michael Mina, a former assistant professor of epidemiology at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and currently Chief Scientific Officer of eMed. “The virus can start further down. A swab in the throat + nose can increase the chances that the swab will pick up the virus,” he writes.

In addition to the potential for Omicron to spread more aggressively in the throat and mouth than in the nose, there is also evidence that rapid testing may be less sensitive to the detection of the highly contagious variant FDA. Said last week.. Authorities said early results suggest that antigen testing “detects Omicron variants, but may be less sensitive.” This means that tests can miss an infection known as a “false negative,” especially in the early stages of infection, Dartunorro Clark reports: NBC..

Despite increasing evidence that saliva samples may help detect Omicron infections, the FDA advises not to use self-collected throat swabs for the Covid-19 test. For example, if you eat or drink before wiping your throat, the virus may not show up in the test. As the FDA learns more about Omicron variants, the FDA may revise its guidance, but for now, Americans need to keep their nasal swabs out of their mouth when reliable results are needed. They say there is.

“The FDA points out safety concerns about self-collection of throat swabs because they are more complex than pharyngeal swabs and can be harmful to patients if used incorrectly,” said an FDA spokesman. Said Jim McKinney. today..

Rochelle Warrensky, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said anyone who tested negative at home for a rapid antigen test might want a PCR test for additional insurance.

“We know that the most sensitive test you can do is the PCR test. Therefore, if you have symptoms and the antigen test is negative, take a PCR to make sure they are not. It’s due to Covid, “she said. Said ABC’s Good morning, America..