Testing for the flu can help you get faster treatment. But why is it so hard to get a rapid antigen test for influenza?
2 years, 10 months ago

Testing for the flu can help you get faster treatment. But why is it so hard to get a rapid antigen test for influenza?

ABC  

Flu cases are surging around Australia. "There hasn't been the demand, I mean, rapid antigen testing has been around as a technology for other pathogens," Dr Short says. "For example, HIV has rapid antigen tests and that's been used widely." At the moment rapid antigen tests for the flu are expensive and not as widely available as COVID tests. "Most people have two shoulders and you can get a flu vaccine and a COVID vaccine at the same time," Dr Aitken said yesterday.

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History of this topic

Why rapid COVID tests aren't more accurate and how scientists hope to improve them
3 years, 2 months ago

Why rapid COVID tests aren't more accurate and how scientists hope to improve them

NPR  

Why rapid COVID tests aren't more accurate and how scientists hope to improve them Enlarge this image toggle caption Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images How much should you trust the results of a rapid antigen test? Sponsor Message That finding prompted the Food and Drug Administration to update its online guidance in late December to …

Why are rapid tests for COVID-19 in such short supply?
3 years, 2 months ago

Why are rapid tests for COVID-19 in such short supply?

LA Times  

Boxes of BinaxNow home COVID-19 tests made by Abbott are shown for sale in November at a CVS store in Lakewood, Wash. Is that tickle in your nose COVID-19, or just a cold? Abbott Laboratories, which makes the BinaxNOW rapid antigen test, expects to produce 70 million tests this month and is working to raise that to 100 million, said …

Rapid antigen tests for COVID are being used at Christmas lunches across Australia. Should they be free?
3 years, 3 months ago

Rapid antigen tests for COVID are being used at Christmas lunches across Australia. Should they be free?

ABC  

As COVID-19 cases rise across Australia, health authorities have made it clear they expect the Omicron variant to overtake Delta. But unlike the many millions of PCR tests that people have been able to access free in Australia throughout the pandemic, rapid antigen tests cost upwards of $10 each. As cases of COVID have increased with the loosening of restrictions, …

COVID-19 booster shots, rapid antigen tests running low, says Newcastle pharmacist
3 years, 3 months ago

COVID-19 booster shots, rapid antigen tests running low, says Newcastle pharmacist

ABC  

Anthony Piggott says his pharmacy in Newcastle is being overwhelmed by people asking about two things: booster shots and rapid antigen tests. Key points: A Hunter pharmacist is struggling to supply booster shots and testing kits for the community There were 660 cases of COVID recorded in the Hunter New England region A local MP says supply issues could have …

Rapid antigen tests are ‘not perfect’ but they could help protect those vulnerable to COVID, like baby Austin
3 years, 4 months ago

Rapid antigen tests are ‘not perfect’ but they could help protect those vulnerable to COVID, like baby Austin

ABC  

For baby Austin, catching COVID would be dire. Ms Messemaker said they were seeking advice from Austin's specialists about how they should use rapid antigen tests, but she said the cost would also factor in. Dr Anderson said if people were planning to use rapid antigen tests, using them regularly like the Krins family would be most effective. Focus should …

How do you effectively use over-the-counter rapid antigen tests that can help slow the spread of COVID-19?
3 years, 6 months ago

How do you effectively use over-the-counter rapid antigen tests that can help slow the spread of COVID-19?

Firstpost  

A viral load that is too low to be detected by rapid antigen tests is almost surely too low to be transmissible. On Sept. 9, 2021, the White House announced several initiatives to improve access to rapid antigen tests: It will use the Defense Production Act to boost the production of tests, require retailers to sell rapid tests at cost, …

Rapid antigen testing could play crucial role in forging path out of Canberra's COVID-19 lockdown
3 years, 6 months ago

Rapid antigen testing could play crucial role in forging path out of Canberra's COVID-19 lockdown

ABC  

Even as the ACT inches closer to vaccination targets of 80 or 90 per cent, there will still be a major barrier to ending lockdowns. Yesterday ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr indicated that rapid antigen testing could be one of the tools in the territory's arsenal to stop the spread of the virus in the community. "With the new school …

What is a rapid antigen test? How is it different from other COVID-19 tests?
3 years, 8 months ago

What is a rapid antigen test? How is it different from other COVID-19 tests?

ABC  

When Year 12 students in Greater Sydney get back to the classroom, they'll likely be doing it with the help of rapid antigen testing to monitor for COVID-19. Rapid antigen tests are a method for detecting COVID-19 that work by reacting to proteins on the surface of the virus called antigens. But while rapid antigen tests are becoming increasingly common …

Rapid COVID-19 antigen tests should be used for frontline workers, politicians and experts argue
3 years, 8 months ago

Rapid COVID-19 antigen tests should be used for frontline workers, politicians and experts argue

ABC  

Rapid COVID-19 tests should be the next tool used in the fight against coronavirus, according to health experts and politicians — including some within the Coalition's own ranks — who argue the tests could help open borders and protect frontline health workers. Key points: Federal Liberal and Labor MPs are among those calling for rapid COVID-19 tests to be introduced …

Airlines push for coronavirus tests before international flights
4 years, 6 months ago

Airlines push for coronavirus tests before international flights

Al Jazeera  

Travel restrictions have crushed a global airline industry that says preflight tests would be better than quarantines. Global airlines are calling for airport coronavirus tests for all departing international passengers to replace the quarantines they blame for exacerbating the travel slump. Rapid and affordable antigen tests that look for pieces of the coronavirus in swab samples from people’s noses and …

When it comes to coronavirus testing, not all tests are created equal
4 years, 10 months ago

When it comes to coronavirus testing, not all tests are created equal

ABC  

Australia is significantly expanding testing for COVID-19 across the country in order to stay on top of the virus and provide a path to re-open large portions of public life. Key points: Australia is ramping-up its COVID-19 testing capability Australia is ramping-up its COVID-19 testing capability There are moves for more rapid blood testing to supplement swab tests There are …

Antibody tests: To get a grip on coronavirus, we need to know who's already had it
4 years, 11 months ago

Antibody tests: To get a grip on coronavirus, we need to know who's already had it

ABC  

With much of society now effectively in lockdown, how will we know when it's safe to resume something like normality? Because antibodies are specific to a particular virus, that means if we can detect SARS-CoV-2 specific antibodies in someone's blood, we know that person has already been infected with the coronavirus. Stay up-to-date on the coronavirus outbreak Download the ABC …

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