Right now is the time to stock up on rapid COVID-19 tests, experts say

“We may see the two diseases (influenza and COVID-19) peaking around the same time, so that’s why it’s important to differentiate what you have,” Dr. Georges C. Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, told TODAY.  “I encourage people to order (rapid tests) early, because when everybody has flu-like symptoms there will be a run on those tests and you want to get them now before they run out.”

While there is no reported shortage of rapid COVID-19 tests right now, last winter’s omicron surge is a reminder of what can happen when demand goes into overdrive. 

“At this point, the supply out there appears to be strong,” Carmen Balber, executive director of Consumer Watchdog, told TODAY. “From all indications that I’ve seen … our system is much better prepared to fulfill the kind of demand that you might anticipate if there is another spike in COVID.”

That said, Balber still encouraged stocking up now: “It’s always better to have those tests than to have to wait for them to be delivered or if you’re feeling sick, being forced to go to the store to buy them and potentially expose other people.”

When should you test before gatherings?

Anytime a person is feeling sick or has COVID-19 symptoms, they should test immediately, according to the experts.

If you have symptoms and your first test is negative, then you should take another test 24 and 48 hours later “to get a more definitive answer,” said Murray.

People who have been exposed to a person who was sick or had COVID-19 should take a rapid test two to five days after the exposure, Maldonado added. 

If you have no symptoms or exposure and are testing ahead of an gathering with vulnerable individuals, the experts recommend doing so within 24 hours of the event. 

“The sooner you are to the actual event, the better …. so if you’re going to Thanksgiving dinner, then doing it that morning would be the best,” said Murray. 

The further away from the event you test, the less likely those results can be trusted, said Maldonado. “If you test yourself three days before, for example, and you’re negative, that may not really predict whether you’re going to be positive the day of.”

If you get a negative test and have no symptoms, it’s highly unlikely that you have COVID-19, said Benajmin. “It’s not 100% by any means, but you are doing your due diligence,” he added.

That said, a negative COVID-19 test isn’t a free pass if you’re sick. “If you’re symptomatic, you probably should not go to Thanksgiving dinner, because it still could be COVID or a number of respiratory viruses,” said Murray.

If you’re not getting better and still testing negative, Benjamin recommends going to your doctor to get a flu test.

“I do think a rule of thumb is …  if you’re sick, you probably don’t want to be around a large number of people,” said Maldonado. 

Are rapid tests still accurate with the new variants? 

“Whenever there is a new variant, there’s always a question of whether the antigen test will detect the variants or whether there will be some mutation such that it doesn’t work as well,” said Murray.

“All the evidence I’ve seen so far is that the antigen tests will continue to detect new variants,” Murray added, but research is ongoing. Whether there’s any change in sensitivity in the tests with the new variants, for better or worse, won’t be clear until the variants are circulating in large enough numbers, he said.

“I’ve seen data that suggests people have to get two or three tests before they actually test positive if they’re symptomatic. … We don’t know why,” Maldonado. Possible reasons could be that the omicron variants are not as easily picked up on rapid tests or people have lower viral loads if they are infected with the omicron variants, said Maldonado, but it’s still unclear. 

“Part of the challenge with all these home tests is they’re not perfect and they work best when you do them exactly as instructed by the manufacturer, which not everybody does,” said Murray.

Another factor that can affect a rapid COVID-19 test’s accuracy is its age, so always check the expiration date, the experts noted. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration doesn’t recommend using rapid COVID-19 tests beyond their expiration dates, but the shelf life (typically four to six months) for some has been extended, so check the FDA site before throwing it out based on the date on the box, Benjamin advised.

How to get free at-home COVID-19 tests

The government program that was mailing out free at-home tests to households through the postal service is now defunct, said Balber. 

Per COVID.gov: “Ordering through the free at-home test program was suspended on Friday, Sept. 2, because Congress hasn’t provided additional funding to replenish the nation’s stockpile of tests.”

Instead, the federal government has shifted the responsibility for paying for at-home COVID-19 tests to insurance carriers, said Benjamin. (COVID-19 vaccines are still 100% free to everyone, per the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, aka HHS). 

“Anyone in the country who has insurance, whether they purchased it on their own through the marketplace or they get it from their employer or Medicare (part B), is eligible for eight free tests every month,” said Balber, adding that these can be purchased all at once or separately. This means a family of four can get 32 free at-home tests a month, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). 

Insurers will reimburse consumers up to $12 per individual test, according to CMS….