Need to Take a Covid-19 Home Test? Here’s What to Expect

Sooner or later this will be your reality. A part of your life.

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Let's be honest. Most of us have been stuck in something that resembles this.

Or this.

Waiting to get this shoved up our nostrils.

Now we all can play the home game to get an early indication if we have Covid-19 or not.

But first, read this about Covid-19 Self/Home/Rapid tests.

Before we dive into the home Covid-19 test discussion, let's be clear.

The other main kind of diagnostic test is an antigen test, also known as a rapid test, which detects the presence of a specific molecule that implies a current viral infection but does not document it directly, making it a bit less accurate. Results are available within minutes, which is why this is the type of test used at home.

Because the antigen test can miss low levels of infection, if you get a negative result (meaning the test says you don’t have COVID-19), for maximum accuracy you need to take either a second antigen test — typically, from 24 to 48 hours later — or a PCR test to confirm. (EverydayHealth)

Read the latest from the CDC about Self-Testing.

We also just found out this information earlier this week (01/11/2022):

COVID-19 test kits will be available for free starting on Saturday, when the Biden administration will start requiring insurance companies to reimburse members. (cnet)

What do at-home/self-testing Covid-19 kits look like?

There are several to choose from. Here's what I found locally.

Actually, my sister-in-law found this one (BinaxNow) and she said it was at Walgreens. She paid $23.99 for it. Per the packaging, it contains 2 tests per box. Reviews were mostly positive with a 4.3 out of 5 on the Walgreens site.

I found this one at Rite Aid. It's the Ellume Covid-19 Home Test. I've seen it online priced from $26 - $38. For this one, you download an app, go through 7 steps, wait 15 minutes and the results are displayed on your phone and saved on the app. It is 1 single-use test per box. Reviews for this one are not super positive with most ranking it 3 out of 5 stars.

Finally, the one I purchased was the Flowflex test and I found this one at Rite Aid. My friend also found it at the same drug store chain across town. I have heard finding home tests at all anywhere was difficult, but this was not the case for me at least at the stores I went to as of Friday, January 7th, 2022. I paid about $11 - $12 for it.

The first thing I found out online about this one was that it was FDA APPROVED.

Once you get it home and open it up, it looks like this.

Instructions are relatively simple, in Spanish and English, and should take less than 20 minutes to perform and get your results for. 5 to carefully execute and wait 15 minutes for the results.

My results (mind you I purchased two and tested on two separate days).

Take your time, follow the instructions precisely, and when in doubt, get to a real doctor. Home tests do provide peace of mind but there are false positives that do occur.

Some places asking for proof of a negative Covid test DO NOT ACCEPT home tests and require a PCR test or one administered by a health care professional.

Head to the CDC or Michigan.gov/Coronavirus for the most up-to-date guidelines and consult a health care professional with any questions.