Have you used an at-home test to check for covid-19?

Yes. Three times. Got the kits from our local CVS.

Thank you for the link though, as the CVS ones were $50 for a 2-pack.

I’ve preferred the free, administered tests, but appointments are hard to come by and the wait can be hours long.

Nope, no need.

Yes, twice. Once when I got a cold (how the hell did I get a cold???), it was negative. Then, after I’d been to the dentist, I took another (negative again). I’ve been ordering them from Amazon.

I bought two boxes, last spring, or summer, but I haven’t used them.
Only did a few test (PCR, and Rapid) when I traveled internationally.

REgularly.

I was just having this convo with a friend, we hope to have them long enough to expire and not need to use them. Ugh. Not seeing that happening for awhile.

If I thought I needed one, I would just place myself under a quarantine.

No. I bought a pack of two two months ago to be ready for the holiday surge, but haven’t needed it yet.

That’s nice of you to provide the link for the kits.

I guess this will mean case numbers will become more and more inaccurate and understated. As much as I think it’s great to have home tests.

Yep, just once though. Came out positive then my SIL who is living with us for the moment went 2 days later to get tested and she did both and both came back positive.

And I’ll just say I think it’s adorable that the government can just put up a website to say “get your free covid tests” when nobody can even buy them nowadays because you can’t find them.

No. I got tested once by medical techs. Was negative.

Probably twenty times or so, by now. In Germany, many invititations come with the request “please get tested beforehand”.

I know it’s really hard to find tests in the US, but here they are everywhere and cost only about three dollars.

The test kits were given out for free here and I have self tested three times before mixing socially. All the tests were negative.

@longgone I saw a show in America a year ago that said the tests cost less than a dollar to produce. It’s highway theft in America the tests. I bought my two-pack for $15, but most places sell them for $25.

The US government probably wouldn’t have had to do so many for free if the pharmacies had been charging $3.

About five times now. I usually do it before big family gatherings like Christmas

I used them twice before visiting folks who requested them. I didn’t have much problem with getting them from Amazon and have two boxes – 4 tests – in reserve. But that was before the recent surge.

I’m wondering if it’s more moral for those of us who can afford to buy them to do so and not send for the free tests? It would seem so.

@janbb, I agree about the buying of the tests.

Anyway, I think it’s likely that the site will crash pretty quick, and then be fixed and there will be all sorts of delays and stuff. I think it’s appropriate for the government to supply these tests, I hope they are ready for the problems.

@janbb I don’t know. It depends on if they actually have them all and if they’ll all be sent out to people who can’t afford them. They do expire so I’d hate to see any get wasted. I just let a couple expire.

@JLeslie That’s awful, and it should be illegal.

@Blackwater_Park Interesting. There’s no “use by” date on our tests, as far as I know. How long do yours last?

They have them on Amazon. They range from $20 for 2 tests to $1800 for 20 tests.

All the time. I’ve got the hookup.

The last time—and only time—I was tested was last July every time I went to visit my dad’s wife in the hospital. Always negative.

I’m 99% sure Rick and I both got it was in Feb of 2020. There was no test for it then.

@longgone The ones I use have a 2–3 month lifespan.

Used home tests for my boys on Thursday. Both positive.

Can’t buy tests around here, and they’re shipping weeks from now online. People apparently bought a bunch of them before the surge, so the only way to get some is let people know and they might give you one. We had a couple donated to us.

@canidmajor Thanks! How strange.

@product I’m in the US right now and happy to send you the remaining three saliva tests that we brought, if you can figure out the German instructions. But would shipping take forever from Arizona to where you are?

@longgone You’re here? Where are you?

A friend just told me that in one of the Disney Facebook groups someone from the UK had seven tests she could give away. Maybe she needed space in her luggage. She wrote she had brought them from the UK and bought them for $3 each.

My guess is that @longgone is in Arizona.

Yup. So many times. The school district sends home notifications if our student(s) have been exposed to a positive case in class.

One kid is in middle school. And with students moving between six classes a day, we practically got a notification every day for two weeks.

Our school district also sent home two tests for each kid right before winter break. With instructions to take on specific days. That alone kept more than 200 positive cases off campus.

We also used some at home before sending them back to school after our isolation period ended. It wasn’t required if you completed the full ten days. But I wanted to be sure.

My friend did. She called to let me know that it was positive. I had coffee with her four days ago, before she had symptoms.

@Jeruba I’m so sorry to hear that. I pray you’re OK.

Thanks, @Hawaii_Jake. I have an appointment every day but one for the next two weeks, mostly medical, so isolation would really mess me up, but I can’t take a virus out there knowingly. I will use your link at the top as soon as it becomes effective, on Jan. 19th. Thank you for sharing that.

@Jeruba Four days you are probably ok. Too many days on average, but slight chance you or your friend is outside of the average. Most people start getting sick by day three with Omicron. Now, you are on day five I would guess.

I’ve had close calls like that. Unnerving.

They are starting the program today, a day earlier than planned.
The link in the OP details is up and running

I believe I read that it will take about 7–10 for orders to fulfill so best to order in advance of need.

I just ordered mine. It said they start shipping late January.