05/22/2022
Positive for COVID-19 by Home Testing?
This is not intended for debate, I am simply trying to offer you my opinion. I understand individuals may have different thoughts and that is their prerogative. I am attempting to help people who may not be aware of this information.
If you test positive on a “COVID Home Test” also known as a rapid antigen test, I encourage you to follow up with your primary care physician. Do not just try to “ride it out” at home. Yes, still quarantine but, allow your doctor to offer you possible treatment options. These include pharmacologic therapies (like Paxlovid, Molnupiravir, and Monoclonal Antibodies), steroids, vitamins, and monitoring. Some pharmacologic therapy used for patients that are not hospitalized are generally required to be started within five days of the onset of symptoms. This means that you will likely not be able to receive these pharmacological therapies (like Paxlovid, Molnupiravir, and Monoclonal Antibodies) outside of a hospital if you are not evaluated before this timeframe.
In general individuals become most sick around days 7 to 10 which would be after the treatment window for some options. If you are beyond day five there are still some therapies that I feel have been helpful, such as steroids. Thus we still feel it is important to follow up with your provider for other possible treatments and monitoring.
If you test positive with a home test I would also encourage you to get a PCR test. This will provide official laboratory documentation of your positive result. This proof may be needed in the future for matters such as disability and certificates of recovery. Certificates of recovery are important if you are planning to travel or other possible circumstances. Keep in mind that you may test positive on rapid antigen and PCR testing for months after COVID. If you plan to travel and test several days before your trip this test may still read as positive, resulting in the cancellation of your travels most likely. Proof of your previous COVID infection (within a certain window of time) could possibly exclude you from this testing.
If you test negative on a home test you should still follow up with your primary care physician to evaluate for other conditions. If after being evaluated you may want to retest for COVID if symptoms persist. Also keep in mind we are seeing still some influenza (flu). Influenza requires a different technique for testing and also has a limited time window for starting treatment.
This is my opinion on the subject matter. Please consult your provider for circumstances it might be related directly to your health.
