# Home Covid tests and infection rates **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [December 7, 2021, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-covid-tests-and-infection-rates/955648 "2021-12-07T15:31:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2021, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-covid-tests-and-infection-rates/955648/21 "2021-12-21T14:53:14Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > What are the “obvious” reasons? (I’m known to be clueless at times…) He spends the entire day elbow deep in people’s faces, so testing himself and his staff is pretty important. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2021, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-covid-tests-and-infection-rates/955648/22 "2021-12-21T14:57:51Z")
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH. That makes sense. For us often-clueless types, each new revelation is a source of wonderment! ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2021, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-covid-tests-and-infection-rates/955648/23 "2021-12-21T16:11:58Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > > [@susan](#): > > > > Or ask your doctor to report it. > > This is probably the answer. > > Here in Ontario, I have a friend who is a dentist, and he received a lot of the home tests from the government, for obvious reasons. Last week he was told to distribute as many as he could to the public, so I got a set of five, but he made a point of asking us to report our test results, positive or negative, to him, as he’s supposed to pass that information along to the powers that be. > > The test instructions that came with the tests also indicate if you get a positive result, you should then schedule a PCR test to confirm it, so that will be reported as well, even if I forget to tell my friend. My girlfriend never did get an official test other than the home test. She was in contact with her doctor. Unknown if the doctor contacted the government. However after I tested positive I got a call from the health department contact tracer. He also talked to my girlfriend and got her information. It seems to me that relying on self reporting will not be very effective ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2021, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-covid-tests-and-infection-rates/955648/24 "2021-12-22T00:54:30Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH. > > That makes sense. For us often-clueless types, each new revelation is a source of wonderment! Yeah, from what I’ve seen, in Canada at least, dentists aren’t screwing around with this. My own dentist closed for about 5 months at the start of all this, and used the time to retrofit her entire office for COVID. Isolation barriers on the door to every room, as well as air filtration and ventilation in every room. They have on multiple layers of PPE, and screen every patient every time. If you call to cancel an appointment because you’re under the weather that day, they don’t even question it, none of that “Charge a fee for cancellation” nonsense. It’s actually quite impressive. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2021, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-covid-tests-and-infection-rates/955648/25 "2021-12-28T15:43:47Z")
Trying to sort out the logistics of testing at home. For oneself or for a large group. Are any of you keeping a supply of home tests on hand? Do you assume that others have a supply of home tests? I’m reading articles that say if you’re having a big gathering of people, make sure everyone tests right before they come. Does this mean stopping people at the front door with a Q-tip in hand? Or you expect your guest to use their home test that morning? Or stop by their CVS or Walgreen’s for a test (around here you can get a test, but you need an appointment). A batch of tests is not cheap. A pack of two rapid tests from amazon is $15-ish to $25-ish. At least one self-test is $90. A pack of 40 tests is $500. Do you just include that amount in the catering/decorating budget for your Big Event? * * * * * * ETA: Coincidentally, this story in today’s WaPo covers one person’s quest for a test. > **[Opinion | My epic, infuriating quest for a covid test](https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/12/27/covid-test-shortage-pandemic/?pwapi_token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWJpZCI6IjYyMDc3NTgiLCJyZWFzb24iOiJnaWZ0IiwibmJmIjoxNjQwNzA2NTEyLCJpc3MiOiJzdWJzY3JpcHRpb25zIiwiZXhwIjoxNjQxOTE2MTEyLCJpYXQiOjE2NDA3MDY1MTIsImp0aSI6IjAxYzNiMDEyLTRlYjEtNDZjMC1iZjI3LTVjZjIyMjMxMTdmZiIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lndhc2hpbmd0b25wb3N0LmNvbS9vcGluaW9ucy8yMDIxLzEyLzI3L2NvdmlkLXRlc3Qtc2hvcnRhZ2UtcGFuZGVtaWMvIn0.UsDqk7hxcrRnKNkMBbfzl7Yi3kZyzffpH5FYgHEp7lA&itid=gfta)** > > Nearly two years into the pandemic, finding out whether I had covid-19 should have been easy. Spoiler: she turned out to be positive, but by the time she got the results, she was better. And her husband had symptoms, so they started the quest all over again. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2021, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-covid-tests-and-infection-rates/955648/26 "2021-12-28T15:58:00Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Are any of you keeping a supply of home tests on hand? Do you assume that others have a supply of home tests? I have several on hand. I managed to get 10 for free the week before Christmas when the Ontario government finally realized giving out the tests was a good idea. However, a lot of people missed out, because the government also still screwed up by not giving out enough. You can buy them online, a set of five tests goes for about $50, which is pretty good compared to paying $40 for one test at the drug stores. > [@](#): > > I’m reading articles that say if you’re having a big gathering of people, make sure everyone tests right before they come. Does this mean stopping people at the front door with a Q-tip in hand? **Or you expect your guest to use their home test that morning? Or stop by their CVS or Walgreen’s for a test (around here you can get a test, but you need an appointment).** The bolded part is the best answer, if they’re able. The test takes 15 minutes to produce results, so it would be logistically difficult to do this for everyone at your front door. But if you’re planning a really big party, and suspect some guests might not be able to arrange their own test for whatever reason, then yeah, have some tests on hand, and ask them to self-test in their cars before coming in. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2021, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-covid-tests-and-infection-rates/955648/27 "2021-12-28T16:31:00Z")
@Loach, according to this [PDF](https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/documents/topics/NCOV/COVID_Reporting_Guidance.pdf), when your girlfriend reported her positive test to her doctor, he was supposed to send it in to the proper authorities. My son tested positive last week on a home test – we have to let his doctor know. We’ve taken two different kinds of home tests, with slightly varying instructions, but it was pretty easy. Totally sold out around us right now, though. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2021, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-covid-tests-and-infection-rates/955648/28 "2021-12-28T20:53:10Z")
That may be so but we have no way to check. I found tests on Amazon. Took about a week to get them. No good if you need it right now but if you see a need coming up ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2021, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-covid-tests-and-infection-rates/955648/29 "2021-12-29T06:00:09Z")
I got a box of 25 from a supplier at the end of November, and they’re almost gone (testing before visiting my parents in retirement home and for family gatherings). I’ve ordered more, but they’re back ordered until mid-January. I paid $225 Canadian for the box, which is about average from what I can see online. I’m going to try for one of the very limited provincial government free test handouts in our area tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2021, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-covid-tests-and-infection-rates/955648/30 "2021-12-29T13:38:02Z")
> [@Bookkeeper](#): > > I got a box of 25 from a supplier at the end of November, and they’re almost gone (testing before visiting my parents in retirement home and for family gatherings). I’ve ordered more, but they’re back ordered until mid-January. I paid $225 Canadian for the box, which is about average from what I can see online. I’m going to try for one of the very limited provincial government free test handouts in our area tomorrow. There is a program to get free tests in New Jersey. From what I can tell its only PCR tests you have to mail in. I tried to sign up a few times and there has always been a problem with the website. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2021, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-covid-tests-and-infection-rates/955648/31 "2021-12-30T10:07:59Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I’m reading articles that say if you’re having a big gathering of people, make sure everyone tests right before they come. Does this mean stopping people at the front door with a Q-tip in hand? Or you expect your guest to use their home test that morning? Or stop by their CVS or Walgreen’s for a test (around here you can get a test, but you need an appointment). I held a big gathering the first weekend in December. I said that everyone needed to be tested that day, and i would have tests available if they couldn’t test at home. And yes, i greeted people at the door, asked if they’d tested themselves, and handed them a q-tip if they hadn’t. I did about a dozen tests on-site. For each person i tested, i jotted their name and the time i started the test on the cardboard card, and as i read the tests, i threw out the cards. (Everyone tested negative.) ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2021, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-covid-tests-and-infection-rates/955648/32 "2021-12-30T10:11:54Z")
As for reporting… There’s no obvious reporting requirement or path. If you have a regular doctor and contact them, they might have some way to report it, but lots of people who treat positive but aren’t (very) suck don’t bother. Most of those are people who wouldn’t have tested at all if they hadn’t had access to antigen tests, though, so i feel like widespread availability of rapid tests increases reporting a little. We’ve always known there were lots of mild and asymptomatic cases that weren’t reported. We just don’t know exactly how many. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2021, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-covid-tests-and-infection-rates/955648/33 "2021-12-30T13:19:10Z")
There’s an article in the NYT on this exact topic today: [https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/30/us/at-home-rapid-covid-tests-cases.html](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/30/us/at-home-rapid-covid-tests-cases.html) One relevant quote: > But the results are rarely reported to public health departments, exacerbating the longstanding challenges of maintaining an accurate count of cases at a time when the number of infections is surging because of the Omicron variant. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-covid-tests-and-infection-rates/955648.md?page=1)