CoVID-19 / SARS-CoV-2 Information and Questions

[Jim_in_Delaware]

I had an in-law visit the Arab Emirates for the F1 race, and he indicated they have semi-weekly mandatory testing for access to supermarkets. and additional special testing needed to enter the race. Their case count seems very very small compared to ours. (5% of the population vs 25+% for us) I'm still at a loss on our disproportionate impact, but there is some positive news, at least so far, that many of the deaths can be prevented by vaccines.

United Arab Emirates is at the very top of the list, with a vaccination rate of 95%!

Jim

 

[Stan M]

I had an in-law visit the Arab Emirates for the F1 race, and he indicated they have semi-weekly mandatory testing for access to supermarkets. and additional special testing needed to enter the race. Their case count seems very very small compared to ours. (5% of the population vs 25+% for us) I'm still at a loss on our disproportionate impact, but there is some positive news, at least so far, that many of the deaths can be prevented by vaccines.

I'm sorry, but I just don't trust the numbers from most other countries.

 

[Julian]

I'm sorry, but I just don't trust the numbers from most other countries.

Depends on the country- wealthy ones I trust for the most part. UAE - I trust theirs. China - LOL - No!

Then there are numbers that one has to understand.....like positive testing numbers....India only really tests the rich, so their numbers always look low - BUT I just talked to one of my leads in India today, and he says covid is running rampant there. We've had more employee deaths, and deaths of employee family members.

 

[Mesa50]

Denmark is lifting all covid restrictions and mandates. Britain has decided the same. They have decided that everyone knows the virus, and it’s dangers, and are going to let the adults decide for themselves. We’ll see what happens.

 

[the MfM]

The freedom convoy in Canada is still going strong…they want an end to all mandates.

 

[the MfM]

*honk honk

 

[Beachbummer]

This will be a great experiment being conducted in these countries. As some claim to have a right to be unbelievers of the vaccine until it's better proven, I claim the same right. Let's keep an eye on deaths and hospitalization rates in these countries for a little while and see where it goes. Maybe it works. Let's see how much it costs these folks.

 

[tabbibus]

We are assuming 1:1 compared to us. Deaths, hospitalizations, vaccination rates, prior mitigation measures... All these are not the same as us.

 

[Jim_in_Delaware]

Denmark is lifting all covid restrictions and mandates. Britain has decided the same. They have decided that everyone knows the virus, and it’s dangers, and are going to let the adults decide for themselves. We’ll see what happens.

Keep in mind that they have a relatively high vaccination rate in Denmark. Their government is reporting that 81% of the entire population is vaccinated and 61% of the entire population is boosted.

Jim

 

[Beachbummer]

View attachment 170364

We are assuming 1:1 compared to us. Deaths, hospitalizations, vaccination rates, prior mitigation measures... All these are not the same as us.

I think eventually it evens out. Enough time and the virus will makes its rounds. Perhaps weather is a factor but beyond that is virus and people... Deaths will be similar in ratio over say 3 years I think.

We'll find out soon enough.

 

[the MfM]

Those COVID-19 tests the government sent you might not work. Cold weather could be to blame.

Millions of coronavirus tests are traveling across the nation, many through winter weather. Freezing temperatures could affect test results, experts say.

www.yahoo.com

 

[Brad_Ct]

Those COVID-19 tests the government sent you might not work. Cold weather could be to blame.

Millions of coronavirus tests are traveling across the nation, many through winter weather. Freezing temperatures could affect test results, experts say.

www.yahoo.com

Well that’s encouraging, I have seen in multiple articles that if you get a negative test result from the home tests you should get a PCR test to verify. I’m not not sure I see the reasoning behind the home tests.

 

[HangOutdoors]

We have tested negative with home tests and then Positive with PCR from hospital. Happens all the time. On the Local facebook groups that I follow to see what is going on around me, people go crazy over finding Home Tests kits, especially when they sell out.

 

[tabbibus]

Well that’s encouraging, I have seen in multiple articles that if you get a negative test result from the home tests you should get a PCR test to verify. I’m not not sure I see the reasoning behind the home tests.

The value is in a positive test. If you think you may have it and test positive, you know. If the suspicion is high enough and you test negative you have to confirm with a more reliable tests. It's actually a very common thing with testing in medicine.

 

[HangOutdoors]

@tabbibus That is what I thought. Have also seen the opposite where people test Positive with an at Home Kit and the PCR comes back negative. So now we only go do PCR tests personally.

 

[Jim_in_Delaware]

As you both note above, the value is a home test is that it is "a quick and dirty" test. It gives you more information to know if you should get the more accurate, more expensive, longer time from sample to result test. The only real down side is that there are probably a lot of people who don't realize the home test is not as accurate as the test done in a medical setting.

Jim

 

[Bruce]

Those COVID-19 tests the government sent you might not work. Cold weather could be to blame.

Millions of coronavirus tests are traveling across the nation, many through winter weather. Freezing temperatures could affect test results, experts say.

www.yahoo.com

That article actually contained useful information. Thanks for posting something helpful!

‘Most studies have found a change in the temperature of the at-home test may result in a false-negative test rather than a false-positive, she added. She said if someone is exposed and tests negative with the at-home test, they should receive a PCR test to confirm the results.

"The sensitivity to coronavirus on these tests can be decreased with temperature changes, and it's always tricky to tell by how much," Prins said. "But more often than not, a wrong test shows a false-positive, so then you should get a PCR test."

Antigen tests exposed for extended periods of time to temperatures below 36 degrees or above 86 degrees can deliver inaccurate results, according to a study published by the National Institutes of Health.

“Consequences may include false-negative test results,” the researchers wrote. “Storage and operation of [antigen tests] at recommended conditions is essential for successful usage during the pandemic.”’

 

[HangOutdoors]

So what is the point then, really of doing the Home Tests. Whether Positive or Negative it could be false or true. I just don't get it. If I take a test I am doing it for a reason and would really prefer getting an accurate answer with a high probability. Am I looking at this wrong? Why not just go to the Hospital or proper testing center and get a valid PCR Test?

 

[tabbibus]

So what is the point then, really of doing the Home Tests. Whether Positive or Negative it could be false or true. I just don't get it. If I take a test I am doing it for a reason and would really prefer getting an accurate answer with a high probability. Am I looking at this wrong? Why not just go to the Hospital or proper testing center and get a valid PCR Test?

The way I see it, I will believe a positive. Regardless of a negative later. I would isolate as needed to avoid exposing others.

 

[Bruce]

@HangOutdoors, used properly a home test would give you an indication of whether you are contagious before risking exposure to others outside your home. They catch around 80% of infections that PCR would. If we had rapid antigen tests in sufficient supply and were willing to use them community spread could be reduced significantly.

PCR is much more sensitive but takes longer to run. A batch of PCR tests typically takes 6 hours to run to 40 cycles. The rapid antigen tests are similarly sensitive to 30 cycles of PCR. That batch could be as few as four samples or thousands depending on the equipment used. Typically batching and volume of test requests leads to results one to five days later. In my state of Arkansas PCR results are reported to the state an average of 4 days after sampling but during busy testing periods that stretches to days longer.