How and when to use rapid COVID tests.

A version of this article first appeared in Emily Oster’s newsletter, ParentData. The rapid tests are highly accurate during an individual’s most infectious state, which is typically when your body starts showing symptoms, so in this case you’re likely to find out if it is COVID. My 15-month-old stayed home from day care for three days with a runny nose, no fever, and negative rapid antigen tests because I didn’t want her to give her cold to smaller babies. In a world of inexpensive and widely available rapid tests, I’d favor testing a bunch of times during a multiday visit. I’d like to see every household in America get a shipment of rapid tests in time for Thanksgiving—in fact, this was the plan Mina called for a year ago.