For many people, this holiday season feels like a return to 2019, with crowded stores, holiday parties and travel plans. But one COVID concession we should retain at the end of 2022 — and well into 2023 — is the use of rapid antigen tests, especially before attending large gatherings or meeting with people at high risk. Unlike more intrusive measures such as isolation and masking, tests are almost painless. And President Joe Biden’s administration is now again offering four free tests to each household.
But there’s still confusion around these tests — their strengths and weaknesses in different situations, whether they’re just as accurate against the new variants (yes), and what benefit they can have to whole communities.
Yes, many people are tired of buying these tests and aggravated that testing positive can mean canceled plans or kids out of daycare. But one important reason to continue rapid-testing ourselves is to help diagnose people at high risk for severe disease as soon as possible — because the sooner they get the antiviral Paxlovid after developing symptoms, the better. Underuse of Paxlovid has been blamed for many of the ongoing COVID deaths.
