Rapid COVID Tests Now Available in the Office!
Where does rapid COVID-19 testing fit into the testing landscape? Our office is now offering rapid Covid testing. Read more here. It is important to understand when it might make sense to get a rapid test as opposed to the PCR test that can by done by a commercial lab or a hospital. PCR testing results take at least 48 hours in most cases and can take up to a week. Rapid COVID-19 testing results are ready the same day.
Scenario One: “I have symptoms”
You have symptoms consistent with COVID-19. We recommend, assuming you are not acutely short of breath and needing to be evaluated in the ER, you schedule a same day TeleVisit with your doctor. After speaking with you, we will most likely schedule you the same day or the next day for drive through testing for COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses. If the rapid COVID-19 test is negative and there is no good alternative diagnosis, we would recommend repeat testing with consultation with your doctor. A positive rapid test should be interpreted based on conversation with your physician.
Scenario Two: “I’ve been exposed!”
You have had a known COVID-19 exposure and you currently feel perfectly well. You should call to schedule a TeleVisit with your doctor to discuss appropriate considerations, management and testing strategies.
Scenario Three: “I want to be tested. I’ve been inside my home the past 14 days.”
You need or want to be tested before going to see vulnerable family and friends, before a procedure that requires testing, or before a trip to a location that requires testing. A rapid test is a good choice to get results back quickly. Since the incubation period is about 4-5 days in most cases of COVID-19, we recommend you wait to be tested until you have not had potential contact with someone who has Covid-19. You can schedule your test by calling the office.
Here is an example of how to optimize the utility of testing prior to seeing a vulnerable family member. You should not spend time with people outside your “safety bubble” for 5 days, then come in for a test. Your “safety bubble” needs to be really safe during the prior 5 days. If you, or anyone in your safety bubble, spends 15 or more minutes less than 6 feet apart from someone outside the bubble during the 5 days prior to your test that could lead to a false negative result. Think of it this way: when contact tracers go back and try to figure out who should be tested after someone comes up positive for COVID-19 they test anyone who has spent 15 or more minutes less than 6 feet apart from the positive patient. We realize this requires a lot of trust between you and the others in your bubble. We would say “trust but verify”. We recommend you directly question those in your bubble.
Caveat One:
The rapid COVID-19 testing device we have purchased is not Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) approved for testing asymptomatic people so in scenario two, the test is used for a non-FDA approved indication. It makes complete sense that the test may give you a positive reading after an exposure, whether you have symptoms or not.
Caveat Two:
No testing strategy provides 100% assurance that you have not been exposed to COVID-19. Our in-office COVID-19 testing machine is 80-96% sensitive and 94-99.9% specific. Testing used as part of a risk mitigation strategy makes sense as long as you don’t replace good judgement with testing alone.
Author: Alice L. Fuisz, M.D., M.A.C.P.
