5 ms·

So if I get one of these tests, and it comes back negative, what does that mean?

by FootballMuse 6y ago

SketchySeaBeast 6y ago
That'll you need more testing through the rest of the pandemic until it's either over or you come back positive.
- FootballMuse 6y ago
  Sounds like a positive test would be a relief then.
  - gweinberg 6y ago
    Yes. The best situation to be in is to have been through it and be immune. For those of us who aren't showing symptoms and aren't at high risk for exposure, there's no point in testing us unless the test becomes super cheap.
    - macintux 6y ago
      > The best situation to be in is to have been through it and be immune. I think the jury's still out on the odds of achieving even temporary immunity after having caught it.
      - grandmczeb 6y ago
        All current evidence says infection confers temporary immunity to the vast majority of people infected. It’s not clear how long immunity lasts, but it’s most likely on the order of years. And even if you lose immunity, the reinfection will likely be more mild. https://www.wsj.com/articles/does-covid-19-infection-equal-immunity-11587314824 https://www.wsj.com/articles/does-covid-19-infection-equal-i...
  - finaliteration 6y ago
    I’d say it’s a relief if you test positive and then 14 days pass and you experience no or mild symptoms. But I know for me, personally, I’d be a nervous wreck during that period waiting for the symptoms to come (but I also have an underlying respiratory condition so that’s a big part of my anxiety).
    - SketchySeaBeast 6y ago
      My concern here is why did you pay over $100 when you felt fine? How often would someone sample themselves without symptoms?
      - finaliteration 6y ago
        That’s a fair question. I do think some people may buy and take the test if they’ve been in an area where the potential for exposure is high and they worry they are an asymptomatic or presymptomatic carrier.
    - TylerE 6y ago
      Even that is no guarantee. Some of the passengers on that cruise ship became symptomatic weeks later.
vl 6y ago
This test is mostly useless anyway: you need to administer it at the narrow window when you have covid for it to be effective. This implies that you have to keep it on hand, ie it can be too late to order it when you have symptoms since it can be delivered too late to detect anything. Then you have to wait for results for many days once you send it - so it’s useless for guiding your action during the time you have symptoms. If you administer the test when you don’t have symptoms it useless as well since most likely you will miss the window.
tunesmith 6y ago
Not sure why you would take it if asymptomatic (assuming you aren't an essential health worker), unless you were told to either as part of a random sample study, or because a contact tracing effort told you you were at risk. If you take it while symptomatic, I believe the sensitivity is improved, so if it comes back negative, you can be pretty assured that you just have a regular cold, right?
SkyPuncher 6y ago
Given the sensitivity, absolutely nothing. Seriously, a negative only means that the sample swab didn't have COVID on it. This test is not very useful unless you get a positive. For context, my wife is a physician. Had a patient that turned out to be positive, test negative while in the hospital. A day later, he was intubated. While he was intubated, his original, outpatient, test from 11 days earlier came back positive.

So if I get one of these tests, and it comes back negative, what does that mean?

SketchySeaBeast 6y ago

That'll you need more testing through the rest of the pandemic until it's either over or you come back positive.

FootballMuse 6y ago
Sounds like a positive test would be a relief then.
- gweinberg 6y ago
  Yes. The best situation to be in is to have been through it and be immune. For those of us who aren't showing symptoms and aren't at high risk for exposure, there's no point in testing us unless the test becomes super cheap.
  - macintux 6y ago
    > The best situation to be in is to have been through it and be immune. I think the jury's still out on the odds of achieving even temporary immunity after having caught it.
    - grandmczeb 6y ago
      All current evidence says infection confers temporary immunity to the vast majority of people infected. It’s not clear how long immunity lasts, but it’s most likely on the order of years. And even if you lose immunity, the reinfection will likely be more mild. https://www.wsj.com/articles/does-covid-19-infection-equal-immunity-11587314824 https://www.wsj.com/articles/does-covid-19-infection-equal-i...
- finaliteration 6y ago
  I’d say it’s a relief if you test positive and then 14 days pass and you experience no or mild symptoms. But I know for me, personally, I’d be a nervous wreck during that period waiting for the symptoms to come (but I also have an underlying respiratory condition so that’s a big part of my anxiety).
  - SketchySeaBeast 6y ago
    My concern here is why did you pay over $100 when you felt fine? How often would someone sample themselves without symptoms?
    - finaliteration 6y ago
      That’s a fair question. I do think some people may buy and take the test if they’ve been in an area where the potential for exposure is high and they worry they are an asymptomatic or presymptomatic carrier.
  - TylerE 6y ago
    Even that is no guarantee. Some of the passengers on that cruise ship became symptomatic weeks later.

vl 6y ago

This test is mostly useless anyway: you need to administer it at the narrow window when you have covid for it to be effective. This implies that you have to keep it on hand, ie it can be too late to order it when you have symptoms since it can be delivered too late to detect anything. Then you have to wait for results for many days once you send it - so it’s useless for guiding your action during the time you have symptoms. If you administer the test when you don’t have symptoms it useless as well since most likely you will miss the window.

tunesmith 6y ago

Not sure why you would take it if asymptomatic (assuming you aren't an essential health worker), unless you were told to either as part of a random sample study, or because a contact tracing effort told you you were at risk. If you take it while symptomatic, I believe the sensitivity is improved, so if it comes back negative, you can be pretty assured that you just have a regular cold, right?

SkyPuncher 6y ago

Given the sensitivity, absolutely nothing. Seriously, a negative only means that the sample swab didn't have COVID on it. This test is not very useful unless you get a positive. For context, my wife is a physician. Had a patient that turned out to be positive, test negative while in the hospital. A day later, he was intubated. While he was intubated, his original, outpatient, test from 11 days earlier came back positive.