Would not be surprised if many “false negative” antigen test results were due to improper use, such as not swabbing enough nasal mucus, not mixing the nasal mucus into the liquid well, or not getting enough liquid onto the test strip, rather than using a test a few days or weeks past the date on the package.
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I know that I have to force myself to stick that swab further up than I want to put it!
I ordered some and got them recently (August). They are MaximBio brand, with expiration date in December (manufacture date in June). However, https://www.fda.gov/media/160581/download indicates that the expiration date has been extended to February (two months beyond the expiration date on the box).
No one I know had any idea that the expiration dates were extended on a lot of the antigen tests. This includes at a public health covid vaccination clinic (when I got my 2nd booster shot). I knew the person handing out the tests, and they had no idea. So many tests will be thrown out, when they didn’t have to be.
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I have long thought this, also. There is a good bit of operator error possibility with those antigen tests! And even with the self-administered PCR tests at the pharmacy that I’ve used.
My insurance won’t cover it point of service. You have to put the money out, then hunt down a very hidden form on their website, then fill it in and include receipt. Which is ridiculous–it’s a very expensive, very inclusive plan, but the pharma part is being a pain on this. If you search their site for how to get the tests covered, they send you to the government site.
Am I reading this correctly, that the UK is recommending that pregnant or breastfeeding women not be vaccinated?
Toxicity conclusions
The absence of reproductive toxicity data is a reflection of the speed of development to first identify and select COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine BNT162b2 for clinical testing and its rapid development to meet the ongoing urgent health need. In principle, a decision on licensing a vaccine could be taken in these circumstances without data from reproductive toxicity studies animals, but there are studies ongoing and these will be provided when available. In the context of supply under Regulation 174, it is considered that sufficient reassurance of safe use of the vaccine in pregnant women cannot be provided at the present time: however, use in women of childbearing potential could be supported provided healthcare professionals are advised to rule out known or suspected pregnancy prior to vaccination. Women who are breastfeeding should also not be vaccinated. These judgements reflect the absence of data at the present time and do not reflect a specific finding of concern. Adequate advice with regard to women of childbearing potential, pregnant women and breastfeeding women has been provided in both the Information for UK Healthcare Professionals and the Information for UK recipients.
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There is often considerable caution around pregnancy and breastfeeding, if there is insufficient data on the subject. It appears to be different in the UK (where it appears that the Pfizer vaccine is discouraged while pregnant or breastfeeding*) versus the US (where the CDC recommends vaccination for those who are pregnant or breastfeeding).
Since it has been more than 9 months since COVID-19 vaccines were widely available to everyone in the US, those intending to become pregnant have had plenty of opportunity to get vaccinated before any pregnancy that may be present at the current time. Note that pregnancy brings an increased risk of severe disease if infected with COVID-19, so someone intending to become pregnant has more incentive to get vaccinated before pregnancy. Of course, it is possible that someone who has been breastfeeding for a relatively long duration could have been pregnant and then breastfeeding the entire time that COVID-19 vaccines were available.
*Similar documents on the Novavax, Astra-Zeneca, and Moderna vaccines do not carry this discouragement, although the document for Astra-Zeneca says “Considering potential use in women who are breastfeeding, the information provided indicates no evidence of a reason for concern for use in pregnant or lactating women. Nevertheless, these data are from mice and it is not yet known that the same can be expected in humans. The information provided to healthcare professionals states that COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca should only be considered in pregnancy when the potential benefits outweigh any potential risks for the mother and fetus.” (presumably leaving the physician and mother guessing estimates of the benefits and risks). The documents for Novavax and Moderna do not appear to say anything about pregnancy or breastfeeding.
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Page about choosing whether and when to get the bivalent booster:
The page suggests the following:
- No previous Omicron infection:
- Last booster was more than a few months ago: get bivalent booster ASAP.
- Last booster was recent: wait until a few months after the last booster.
- Previous Omicron infection:
- Bivalent booster is not a high priority generally.
- May be worth considering if a high risk event is coming soon.
- But if the infection was recent, no point until a few months later.
- You are high risk:
- Get (any) booster you are eligible for ASAP, but at least one month after most recent booster or infection.
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I’m curious - for those of you with multiple close contacts but no known infection are you assuming you’ve had an asymptomatic case? I have spent hours with people who tested positive a day or two later on multiple occasions (at least four or five that I know of and including a period of days when my daughter had it) and while I’m not foolish about it (I’m a 60 year old introvert after all) I don’t take any particular precautions either. My only booster was last December. I’ll probably get the bivalent this fall but didn’t love the side effects the first three times (though my Pfizer booster was much better than my two Moderna’s). I rarely get sick and don’t have any risk factors other than age but don’t want to be stupid about it either. Most people I know who’ve gotten Covid have been reasonably sick for a few days and the middle-aged typically take a few weeks to be back to normal so I don’t want to minimize it. But I’m wondering if others like me who have been exposed and don’t really take precautions are assuming infection in the past or if you’re assuming you still really haven’t had it against all odds?
There’s no way to tell, is there? I’m surprised that my husband, oldest child, and I have not had any symptoms. I’ve been around people who tested positive shortly after our encounter. I have no clue whether I’ve had an asymptomatic infection.
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Vaccines are still stopping some portion of infections…so that very well could explain why a vaccinated person who was exposed to covid doesn’t get covid symptoms. The older a person is the less likely they are to have had an asymptomatic infection.
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I’m not assuming anything. When DH got COVID…I didn’t. I’m just waiting because I figure eventually I will get it.
Yes agreed. I’ve never been one to get what everyone else has so it’s entirely possible my vax x3 plus my natural immune system has protected me. In which case I should probably get a booster in the fall. On the other hand if I did have an asymptomatic infection getting a booster seems less urgent. I’ve never reacted to a vaccine before but definitely found the Moderna very unpleasant so I’m not exactly eager to line up for another just in case. I know no one can really say what should do, just curious about others in the same or similar boat.
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There is no way of knowing that you had an asymptomatic infection unless you get a nucleocapsid antibody test, although even that has some limitations (e.g. false negative due to fading nucleocapsid antibodies). Note: the more common spike antibody test will show positive for vaccination as well as previous infection, and some vaccines not used in the US will also cause a positive nucleocapsid antibody test.
But also note that a positive nucleocapsid antibody test may not say much about when you got infected. I.e. were you infected recently with Omicron, or last year with some non-Omicron variant which will provide less protection against future Omicron infection?
Is there a study you can link about pregnancy and severe disease if infected from covid?
CDC has pregnancy as a condition at risk for more severe covid. The references/studies they used to make this decision are cited on this page:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/science/science-briefs/underlying-evidence-table.html
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Characteristics of Women of Reproductive Age with Laboratory-Confirmed SARS-CoV-2 Infection by Pregnancy Status — United States, January 22–June 7, 2020 - PMC is a study on pregnancy and COVID-19 risks.
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Does anyone know if there are some people who just don’t spread Covid? My D (vaxxed and boostered) just had Covid for the second time. Both times she tested positive on a Sunday after spending Saturday in close contact with others - small parties, in a car, with a boyfriend etc. Neither time no one she was around contracted Covid. It just seems so strange that not one person she was in close contact with either time seemed to catch it from her when I was at a baby shower last spring and practically the entire guest list tested positive a few days later.
She could have had a low viral load.
The close contacts could have occurred outdoors or in well ventilated places.
The close contacts could have had good immunity from vaccination or vaccination + prior infection (particularly with the current variant or something close).