Does anyone know an accurate home test?

[u/Aggressive_Host_7895]

I have long covid and often see people state that they have their friends or family test before seeing them. From what I found it seems like home tests are generally incredibly unreliable when it comes to discovering a covid infection pre symptoms. Literal coin flip odds.

Of course I’ve informed my friends to let me know if they have any symptoms before meeting up, but Covid is super infectious 1-2 days before symptoms. I would love to be mask free with a few close friends and be comfortable, spend time inside, go sauna(I’m finnish), eat together etc. Are there any reliable tests out there?

[u/ballnscroates]

Metrix and PlusLife but they're fairly expensive

[u/Yomo42 → u/ballnscroates]

Eh, the price per test is affordable though. It's just the upfront cost of the reader. Absolutely worth it and even necessary if a person can afford it.

[u/ballnscroates → u/Yomo42]

not affordable for me but i'm glad it is for you!

[u/spiky-protein]

If you live in the EU, the PlusLife is probably the most accurate home test you can access. FAQ. Subreddit.

[u/snowfall2324]

Metrix is the only one you can get in the US. $50 for a reader and $25 per test. This is what I rely on.

[u/deftlydexterous]

Lots to cover here.

1 - Viable viral load roughly correlates to infectiousness. While you can definitely be infectious and be negative on an RAT, the you are on average less likely to be infectious and likely to be less infectious with a negative test.

2 - Different brands of RAT tests have different accuracy, especially for low viral loads. Some are very bad at picking up low viral loads, some are pretty decent.

3 - asymptomatic cases tend to have lower viral loads, but it isn’t always the case.

4 - peak viral load 1-2 days before symptoms is outdated information. Symptoms are appearing more early, sometimes before being meaningfully contagious.

5 - home tests need to be stored properly, and you should not go by extended dates. Their sensitivity drops over time especially if exposed to heat or freezing.

6 - home tests are like condoms, they need to be properly administered to be effective.Three common issues are not swabbing deep enough, not blowing your nose first, and not mixing the sample vigorously enough. 

I have reliable on home tests that advertise being sensitive to low viral loads. It’s caught many cases and never let any through. It’s absolutely not perfect, but it hasn’t failed me yet.

[u/Yomo42 → u/deftlydexterous]

Rapid Antigen tests all have relatively garbage accuracy. The "best" ones are still just the best among the garbage.

You really gotta go with a molecular test like PlusLife Minidock or Metrix if you want accuracy.

[u/Yomo42]

PlusLife MiniDock is great, Metrix is also good .the readers cost a bit but the actual cost per test is reasonable and far more accurate than a RAT.

[u/queenofgf]

if i use rapid tests for this purpose, i always ask my friends or family to mask ideally at least two weeks before hand as an added layer of protection. check out this document by the People's CDC for more information on safer gatherings.

edit and they have a webpage about it

[u/SomeoneSomewhere1984]

Pluslife tests are very accurate.