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Rapid COVID tests were never really about stopping spread or whatever else they claimed. It was about looking like you were doing something while just getting
by psychphysic 3y ago
Rapid COVID tests were never really about stopping spread or whatever else they claimed.
It was about looking like you were doing something while just getting back to work.
We had twice a week testing for over 18 months for work and it was obvious they were naff.
For each positive result there were 2-3 who seemed to miraculously be ill but negative around the same time.
People would be negative at breakfast and positive by dinner. Tomorrow? Negative again.
How could that ever stop a particularly contagious virus?
- eli 3y agoIt's true the tests had false negatives, but they didn't have many false positives. So if you tested positive you knew to take steps to limit exposure to others. Not perfect but not worthless.
- psychphysic 3y agoQuite useless if it only detected it in people who knew they were ill. Coupled with the fact most took precautions so we had mild cold and flu seasons. If you had a cough, fever, headache, loss of sense taste/smell take precautions. Don't come into the office. Guess what, that's precisely the people the test detected except it was delayed! Asymptomatic? Don't bother testing it probably just gives a false sense of security... What was useful was testing to end precautions but again..that was very late by the time it was introduced testing had stopped.
- mrguyorama 3y agoFeeling very ill doesn't mean you have covid, and plenty of people had jobs that would not let them call out without a picture of a positive rapid test. Those jobs absolutely would have expected you to come in with a flu that could be spread to everyone else, because god forbid a business owner take a small haircut during a global emergency.
- psychphysic 3y agoThen spill some orange juice on the test. Even the kids knew that around here.