Is it time for a reality check on rapid COVID tests?

Rapid antigen tests are ubiquitous, but some Americans have learned the hard way that a negative test result isn't necessarily the final word. (Mahmoud Illean/AP)

As the COVID-19 pandemic enters its fourth year, a negative result on a little plastic at-home test feels a bit less comforting than it once did.

Still, you dutifully swab your nostrils before dinner parties, wait 15 minutes for the all-clear and then text the host "negative!" before leaving your KN95 mask at home.