Health Jan 31 If you test positive on a rapid COVID test, don’t stop isolating just yet, virologists say If a person’s rapid antigen test result comes back positive after five days of isolation due to COVID-19, experts say they are most likely still carrying a viral load high enough to infect others. By Rae Ellen Bichell, Kaiser Health News
World Jan 23 Beijing district orders mass virus testing ahead of Olympics People in a Beijing district with some 2 million residents were ordered Sunday to undergo mass coronavirus testing following a series of infections as China tightened anti-disease controls ahead of the Winter Olympics. By Associated Press
Health Jan 22 Watch 6:32 COVID-19 latest: Omicron variant, herd immunity, worldwide vaccine access In order to expand testing access and help stop the spread of the omicron variant, the Biden administration announced this week that it would begin distributing millions of COVID-19 tests and masks to Americans for free. Infectious disease epidemiologist Jessica… By PBS NewsHour
Health Jan 21 Biden administration’s rapid-test rollout doesn’t easily reach those who need it most Two rapid-testing initiatives the Biden administration released in the past week are inaccessible to some residents of multifamily housing, people who don’t speak English well, or those without internet. By Hannah Recht, Victoria Knight, Kaiser Health News
Jan 21 U.S. COVID testing is ‘haphazard.’ Here’s what experts recommend By Laura Santhanam The pandemic’s ever-shifting demands mean goals must be established now to build up the country’s testing capacity for the future. Continue reading
Jan 18 U.S. faces a wave of omicron deaths in coming weeks, models predict By Carla K. Johnson, Associated Press The fast-moving omicron variant may cause less severe disease on average, yet COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. are climbing. Modelers forecast 50,000 to 300,000 more Americans could die by the time the omicron wave subsides this spring. Continue reading
Jan 15 Watch 3:58 Omicron spreads as free home tests are set to roll out By PBS NewsHour Starting Saturday, private insurers are required to cover the cost of up to eight at-home testing kits, while those without insurance can get a free kit from the federal government. Meanwhile, COVID-19 cases rose by another 800,000 across the U.S. Continue watching
Dec 09 Growing use of home COVID-19 tests leaves health agencies in the dark about unreported cases By Kathleen McLaughlin, STAT While home tests have distinct advantages, most who test positive don’t come to the attention of health officials unless they see a doctor. Continue reading
Nov 24 Why you can’t find cheap at-home COVID tests By Rachana Pradhan, Hannah Norman, Kaiser Health News You probably won’t be testing everyone at your Thanksgiving table for COVID because the tests are expensive and hard to find. Why? The federal government is partly to blame. Continue reading