Not much coronavirus news out there today either, but there was one article worth mentioning since it's something I've wondered about from time to time. You've tested positive for covid. What next? If you tested positive at a clinic or community testing site, your result is reported to a public health department. A home test taken under the supervision of a trained telehealth worker is also reported. So what about home tests done at home on your own? The CDC "strongly encourages" reporting the result to your primary care physician, who may report it further. However, only a few state health departments collect data from home tests. Some other states allow counties to collect home test data if they want to, but it's not required.
There are, it seems, four ways to report a positive home test.
1) Some home tests are accompanied by a mobile app through which the result can be reported.
2) As noted above, results can be shared with a PCP; what happens next may or may not send the result forward.
3) The result can be reported to a local health department who may or may not do anything with it.
4) Participation in crowdsourcing may be an option. OutbreaksNearMe.org was developed to deal with influenza results but now handles covid as well. The site can create maps and analyze case data submitted by volunteers, that is, people reporting their home results.
I don't think home tests are going away any time soon if ever. I wish there were a better way to record the results. We know that the official number of cases is too low, in some cases, way, way too low. If I were to get a positive result on a home test, I would at least report it to my PCP and, depending on her advice, the local health department. In the meantime, I hope not to face that minor dilemma.
1 comment:
I would do the same with a positive home test, as I would want to ask about the Paxlovid treatment. The few home tests I've ever done on myself have all been negative.
As you queried, who knows what the PCPs would do with the info?
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