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The rapid antigen test is considerably less accurate than a PCR test if the goal is individual medical treatment, but if the goal is public health, it's potenti
by raphlinus 5y ago
The rapid antigen test is considerably less accurate than a PCR test if the goal is individual medical treatment, but if the goal is public health, it's potentially more effective. Michael Mina makes the case for this persuasively in a recent UCSF Grand Rounds[1].
These tests could be made available at scale and cheaply, as is the case in many European countries, but we have chosen not to do that. This is a mistake we can fix, but it's agonizing how late we are - I was pushing my congresspeople to unblock it in January or February.
[1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWDGNrOqQfQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWDGNrOqQfQ
- michaelmrose 5y agoThese tests are much less effective alone than vaccination.
- kuschku 5y ago> as is the case in many European countries Correction, as was the case in many European countries. Freely available tests in e.g. Germany ended today, as the cost of a vaccine shot is cheaper than that of a rapid test while tests need to be repeated every 24h.