Can At-Home COVID Tests Make my Holiday Gathering Safer?

If you plan on going or hosting the holidays this year a quick at-home COVID test might make everyone feel a little safer.

Most of us are all worried about possibly coming in contact with the coronavirus and with the holidays around the corner some are wondering what they can do to protect themselves and their family as everyone gets ready to gather.

At-home COVID tests are something that some people are planning to use this year to add a layer of safety to their gatherings. One health expert Dr. Emily Volk, the president of the College of American Pathologists has said that home testing along with vaccinations is a good way to protect everyone according to News 10.

Volk said that she plans to use the tests at her gatherings "we will be using rapid tests to double-check everybody before we gather together, we’ll be doing it as they come in the door."

Why Use an At-Home COVID Test?

Dr. Volk said most at-home kits are not as accurate as the PCR tests that most get at testing sites and at hospitals but the at-home test gives us the advantage of "providing results within minutes instead of days."

Where Can We Get AT-Home Covid Test Kits

Test kits Testing kits are available at drugstores all across the HudsonValley. There is no need for a prescription, and a testing kit that includes two tests, swabs, testing solutions, and instructions will cost you around $25.

Do At-Home Covid Tests Provide Actuate Results?

Yes, results are as accurate as possible with one of the more popular testing kits missing around 15 out of 100 infections. Those results are called false negatives and will give a false-positive result in about 1 in 100 people who aren’t infected.