At-home COVID-19 tests have become commonplace for many households, but knowing when exactly to take a rapid test — or when to throw old ones out — isn't always straightforward.
Here's what health experts say about testing at home and info on how to get free tests.
What are the guidelines for when to take a rapid test?
According to Covid.gov, people should take an at-home test when:
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- They start having COVID symptoms like fever, sore throat, runny nose or loss of taste or smell
- At least five days after coming into close contact with someone with COVID-19
- Before gathering with a group of people, especially if the group includes someone who is at risk of severe disease or who might not be up-to-date on their vaccines
As a reminder, typical COVID symptoms include:
- sore throat
- cough
- fatigue
- congestion
- runny nose
- headache
- muscle aches
- fever or chills
- new loss of sense of taste or smell
- shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- nausea or vomiting
- diarrhea
Can rapid tests detect the latest COVID variants?
Yes, infectious disease experts agree that rapid tests are still a reliable method of testing for COVID-19 – even as new variants develop.
“The rapid test does work for any of these variants because what the rapid test is looking for is a part of the virus that's not really mutating that much,” said Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease expert and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. “When we talk about variants, we're talking about the mutations that are occurring in its spike protein. The antigen test is not looking for the spike protein; it's looking for a different part of the virus.”
That said, Adalja explained that timing and frequency play important roles in getting accurate results from at-home tests.
“[The rapid test] might be negative in the early days of symptoms because your symptoms are being driven by your immune system and not so much the virus, and the virus has to reach a certain level to turn a rapid test positive,” he said. “So if you are having symptoms and you're testing negative on a rapid test, you could test again in a couple of days, you could get a PCR test or this might be a totally different virus and you might need to be tested for another type of virus or it could be something like a bacterial infection, like strep throat.”
Can I take a rapid test past its expiration date?
At-home COVID tests degrade or break down over time, and expired test kits could give inaccurate or invalid test results.
"An expired test may give you a false negative result and false reassurance, actually, that you don't have COVID when when you may still have the disease," said Dr. Mona Gahunia, an infectious disease physician for Kaiser Permanente. "With some specific tests from different manufacturers, you might be able to use it up to six months versus other tests have a much longer shelf life of 24 months."
Tests are most accurate when you have active symptoms, Gahunia said.
The FDA extended expiration dates for many tests. Go here for information on how to know if the expiration for your test was extended.
How can I get free rapid tests?
The federal government is offering four free at-home tests to American households. Go here to order the tests.
Does my insurance cover the cost of at-home rapid COVID tests?
If you miss the window to get the free rapid tests or you need more, most insurance plans are required to cover the cost of up to eight at-home tests without a prescription every 30 days, according to CVS.
National pharmacy chains like Walgreens and CVS allow customers to file a claim online to see if their insurance providers cover rapid tests.
