As a datapoint, I tested positive on 3 antigen tests of two different kinds and negative on a Cue test in the same hour, on my first day of having COVID. My suspicion is that this was because I swabbed my throat for the antigen tests, but not for the Cue test because I wasn’t sure if saliva worked for Cue. As further supporting evidence, I lightly brushed my throat for antigen test #1 and got an extremely faint line, and then vigorously swabbed it less an than hour later and got a very clear dark line (both on BinaxNow tests).
Edit: These tests were all performed yesterday, May 2 2022.
Have you read anything lately on whether throat swabs are a reliable procedure for antigen tests that aren’t officially indicated for throat swabs? Back when I looked into this in December it seemed like there were concerns about false positives (though the only study I found from a quick search was one which literally used drinks—soda, if I recall correctly—as buffer—https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1201971221006548), and public health authorities / experts are still not officially recommending that (for whatever that is worth...).
And...sorry to hear you might (probably?) have COVID!
FDA and others have been very clear about this: you should use the tests as directed.
I (a decades-long amateur epidemiologist who’s done a deep dive on antigen test research), my partner (a medical epidemiologist who works full-time on Covid), and several other epidemiologists I’m aware of, all use throat + nasal swabs.
I wouldn’t worry at all about false positives: they really haven’t been an issue with antigen tests. If I got a positive from a throat + nasal swab, I’d follow it up with a nasal-only swab or a PCR, just to be sure.
There is non-zero risk that you’d get false negatives, by some unknown mechanism. That seems unlikely given that some countries like the UK use throat swabs, but it’s possible. It’s my well-informed but not data-supported belief that the benefit of swabbing your throat probably exceeds the downside.
I haven’t looked into this, no. I’m quite confident that I have COVID; I have all the classic symptoms (fever, cough, shortness of breath). I also re-tested using an antigen test today with a nasal-only swab and got a positive.
As a datapoint, I tested positive on 3 antigen tests of two different kinds and negative on a Cue test in the same hour, on my first day of having COVID. My suspicion is that this was because I swabbed my throat for the antigen tests, but not for the Cue test because I wasn’t sure if saliva worked for Cue. As further supporting evidence, I lightly brushed my throat for antigen test #1 and got an extremely faint line, and then vigorously swabbed it less an than hour later and got a very clear dark line (both on BinaxNow tests).
Edit: These tests were all performed yesterday, May 2 2022.
Have you read anything lately on whether throat swabs are a reliable procedure for antigen tests that aren’t officially indicated for throat swabs? Back when I looked into this in December it seemed like there were concerns about false positives (though the only study I found from a quick search was one which literally used drinks—soda, if I recall correctly—as buffer—https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1201971221006548), and public health authorities / experts are still not officially recommending that (for whatever that is worth...).
And...sorry to hear you might (probably?) have COVID!
Let me give you two answers for the price of one:
FDA and others have been very clear about this: you should use the tests as directed.
I (a decades-long amateur epidemiologist who’s done a deep dive on antigen test research), my partner (a medical epidemiologist who works full-time on Covid), and several other epidemiologists I’m aware of, all use throat + nasal swabs.
I wouldn’t worry at all about false positives: they really haven’t been an issue with antigen tests. If I got a positive from a throat + nasal swab, I’d follow it up with a nasal-only swab or a PCR, just to be sure.
There is non-zero risk that you’d get false negatives, by some unknown mechanism. That seems unlikely given that some countries like the UK use throat swabs, but it’s possible. It’s my well-informed but not data-supported belief that the benefit of swabbing your throat probably exceeds the downside.
I haven’t looked into this, no. I’m quite confident that I have COVID; I have all the classic symptoms (fever, cough, shortness of breath). I also re-tested using an antigen test today with a nasal-only swab and got a positive.