How to quickly test Covid-19 to be effective and less expensive?

With Omicron and with Delta before it, the dark or light line on the rapid test strip does not reflect whether the disease is severe or mild or will be severe or mild, because the viral load does not affect the severity of the disease like previous variants. .

Test up 2 lines, whether the T line is dark or light, it is also positive. At this time, worry about isolating, monitoring for symptoms, having any symptoms, then treating that symptom. Since Omicron is mild in nature, people who get vaccinated Covid-19 enough, the lighter it is, the lighter the healthy young people will be.

Many people do not suffer from “doing” anything, going through Covid-19 like a mild cold but the line is still bold, even “2 lines” more days than people, because when the virus is over, it is due to the body. The only thing that matters is the symptoms. After 7 days, you need to test one more time to end the isolation, then test.

If you say you are afraid of infecting others, you want to be absolutely safe, after the full quarantine day, you need to wear a mask carefully for another 7 days. The virus needs time to be eliminated from the body, only 3-4 days to find myself 1 line back, it is not correct to think it is safe.

Rapid test is less sensitive than PCR, only when PCR is negative or CT>33 is not contagious, but doing PCR is expensive.

Even if it becomes F1, it’s the same. Having just been exposed to F0, the test has no value, because it takes a few days of incubation to be positive for infection. Children who need test results to return to school should test on the last day before going back to school, and during F1 time, go home to avoid grandparents – who are at risk, that’s fine.

A quick test is not valuable to know for sure at that time, if you have enough virus to infect others or not. Many people have symptoms a few days later, but they are already contagious.

Therefore, testing is not as important as monitoring symptoms, wearing a mask when “doubting” yourself. During this “season” of Omicron, if you have symptoms, you should take the initiative to avoid infecting others.

About the worry of having been sick but not being tested? Rapid test tools are produced for previous strains, sometimes less effective than this strain and sometimes it is still a matter of test quality, test methods…

Therefore, when you see that you have suspicious symptoms but you have been in close contact with F0 a few days ago or the whole F0 family has only 1 line, then consider yourself as F0. A few days will pass, just avoid infecting others, there’s no need to panic, but test continuously to find 2 lines.

In addition, to test quickly and effectively, try to test correctly when used. There are many online tutorials, easy to look up.

Note the stage of reading the results after the test: do not read too soon, nor wait for hours to come back to read. Most rapid tests give the most accurate results after 15-20 minutes.

Doctor Truong Huu Khanh (Advisor of Infection Division, Children’s Hospital 1)

According to the Workers