Allie and her family have been through many boxes of rapid antigen tests.
When the Parramatta mother of three tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this year it set off a flurry of testing in her house.
Two of her children also became infected but her husband and youngest son continued to return negative tests.
Even after her husband developed symptoms and other members of the family had COVID, he was required to go into the office.
Finally he got a PCR test that came back positive.
By that time, it was too late for his boss.
"He then tested positive because he'd made my husband go to the office, so I think that shows RATs are rubbish," Allie said.
Meanwhile, her youngest son continued to attend kindergarten because of his negative RAT results.
"He was sent home because he had a cough, even though he had tested negative to a RAT," Allie said.
A PCR test that day came back positive.
Allie's story is an increasingly common one and as new variants drive a surge in COVID cases in Australia, doctors are warning against relying on negative results from rapid antigen tests.
"A positive is a positive. The issue is you can't rely on a negative if you continue to have symptoms," Australian Medical Association vice president Dr Chris Moy told ABC Radio Sydney.
Rapid tests became widely available in January, which provided a much-needed alternative to having to line up for hours at overwhelmed PCR testing sites.
But concerns have now been raised that people may have become too reliant on the less-accurate tests and could be unwittingly spreading the infection in the belief they did not have it.
Delay risks missing out on life-saving COVID treatments
Dr Moy urged anyone with symptoms who returned a negative RAT to seek a PCR test.
The queues have largely disappeared but the government has continued to provide free PCR tests at more than 150 sites across Sydney.
Dr Moy urged those who were eligible for COVID antivirals or anyone who worked alongside immunocompromised people to get a PCR test of they had any symptoms.
"What we need you to do is not say, 'she'll be right'," Dr Moy said.
"By the time [a RAT] may go positive, it may be too late to get these antivirals. We need you to go out there straight away, get a PCR test. If you're positive then we can get the ball rolling to give you these potentially life-saving treatments."
NSW Health said antivirals helped stop the spread of the virus through an infected person's body and helped the immune system fight it off but they worked best when taken as soon as possible — usually within five days of developing symptoms.
"There are clearly people that are going to miss out on this if they're just going to rely on RATs," Dr Moy said.
From Monday, the eligibility for antivirals will be expanded to any Australian who tests positive to COVID and is aged over 70.
People aged over 50 with risk factors and Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people aged 30 and older with risk factors will also become eligible.
Not a green light to work or socialise
A few days after going to a funeral last month, Nicole Astridge felt the telltale signs of COVID; fever, headache, cough and exhaustion.
But despite showing symptoms her rapid test returned a negative result.
As her symptoms worsened over the next two days a further two tests came back negative. She took another test and the second line finally appeared.
"I had been in the office — at least I hadn't had any long meetings because I could have spread it."
She hoped people would not see a negative result as a green light to socialise.
Carl Bylsma of Cranebrook in Western Sydney joined those urging people to return to PCR testing sites.
After two rapid tests came up negative in May, Mr Bylsma remained unconvinced. On the third day of feeling sick he took a PCR test in Penrith.
He said the process was much more convenient than it used to be and the test came back positive.
He was concerned that in the interim he had been in contact with people while shopping and his son, who tested positive a day later, had been attending child care.
"You think, I'm negative and I've tested twice, so [I] should be safe."
