# COVID Test/Testing & Vaccine Availability



## AG_PhamD

With the current omicron surge and the holidays, there have been serious issues with availability of testing and vaccines/boosters.

Here in Mass, getting a vaccination or booster was extremely difficult since thanksgiving. For the past week or two scheduling an appointment has been nearly impossible. 

As for testing, at home-tests in Boston/Eastern Mass have essentially been sold out since Friday/Saturday. Testing appointments are pretty much booked and walk in appointments have people waiting hours. 

Not to get too political, but one again our country has been caught with its pants down around its ankles. The actions of the federal government expanding testing and vax sites, as well as at home testing, frankly is probably too little, too late. With the speed the virus is and will spread, by the time a lot of these initiatives are put in place this wave have might already passed for the most part. And we can’t keep disassembling surge resources if we can’t put them back into place fast enough. We’ve known about omicron for a month and it seems only within the past few days has the alarm been sounded. It’s amazing how lessons have not been learned. 

Hopefully omicron is significantly less dangerous than delta, though there is still debate as to how less dangerous. There is still a significant risk our hospitals will be overrun with the vast number of people infected. And with so many people infected, the greater the risk of mutation resistant against vaccination.


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## Eric

AG_PhamD said:


> With the current omicron surge and the holidays, there have been serious issues with availability of testing and vaccines/boosters.
> 
> Here in Mass, getting a vaccination or booster was extremely difficult since thanksgiving. For the past week or two scheduling an appointment has been nearly impossible.
> 
> As for testing, at home-tests in Boston/Eastern Mass have essentially been sold out since Friday/Saturday. Testing appointments are pretty much booked and walk in appointments have people waiting hours.
> 
> Not to get too political, but one again our country has been caught with its pants down around its ankles. The actions of the federal government expanding testing and vax sites, as well as at home testing, frankly is probably too little, too late. With the speed the virus is and will spread, by the time a lot of these initiatives are put in place this wave have might already passed for the most part. And we can’t keep disassembling surge resources if we can’t put them back into place fast enough. We’ve known about omicron for a month and it seems only within the past few days has the alarm been sounded. It’s amazing how lessons have not been learned.
> 
> Hopefully omicron is significantly less dangerous than delta, though there is still debate as to how less dangerous. There is still a significant risk our hospitals will be overrun with the vast number of people infected. And with so many people infected, the greater the risk of mutation resistant against vaccination.



Couldn't agree more, at this point you would think vaccines and boosters would be available by walk-n for anyone who wants them. Same goes for tests. It seems like we have the supply but lack the ability to deal with the logistics of it all. Until there is a real end in sight we should be going all in with every resource available.


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## SuperMatt

A lot of people could have gotten the booster sooner but didn’t. Now that Omicron hit, they are all rushing to get it.

Resources are not infinite. This is similar to the outages of toilet paper. Everybody tried to buy a lot of it all at once.

A lot of Americans are like Homer Simpson:


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## AG_PhamD

SuperMatt said:


> A lot of people could have gotten the booster sooner but didn’t. Now that Omicron hit, they are all rushing to get it.
> 
> Resources are not infinite. This is similar to the outages of toilet paper. Everybody tried to buy a lot of it all at once.
> 
> A lot of Americans are like Homer Simpson:




To some degree that’s true, however even if everyone got their vaccine as soon as possible, I suspect we’d very much still be in the same boat. Remember that boosters were not authorized until November 19th or 20th. Omicron hit the news November 24th. While having a bunch of eligible people still un-boosted at this time (seniors, immuncompromised, healthcare providers) definitely adds to the demand unnecessarily, the overwhelming bulk of the population eligible were not beforehand. 

A lot more could have been done to inform people of boosters and eligibility times. I came across countless seniors who got the J&J and had no idea they were due for a booster after just 2 months. Plus there is a complete lack of knowledge around the acceptability of mixing and matching vaccines. Tons of resources went into pushing vaccines, by comparison very little went into pushing boosters. At least around here. 

Sure, resources are limited, but it depends what we’re talking about. In terms of vaccines, we have so many stockpiled that millions are at risk of expiring and being dumped. The problem there is vaccination sites. My state and many others took down temporary mass vax sites long ago. Thats fine considering they were no longer really needed, but they should have the ability to go back into place within a couple weeks. 

I think most would agree testing has never got quite to where it needs to be and is certainly lacking compared the countries doing it best. At the point, the issue is less about the lack of physical infrastructure (machines, processing labs) and more about the collection infrastructure. Not to mention now on-site, rapid PCR is far more common. 

As for rapid tests, this goes hand in hand with the lack of testing in this country. The cost issue should have been addressed long ago. Insurance reimbursement is the right thing to do, but not via manual claims reimbursement. That’s too time energy/consuming for what it is, too much opportunity for claims not to be paid, and doesn’t sold the cost issue if it takes 2 months to get reimbursed. More tests would be demanded if the price was there. Companies are reluctant to make more despite having the capacity over fear they won’t be purchased (like with H1N1). And by the time the govt sets up their mail order test program, this wave will probably be over with. 

Both test sample collection and vaccination are not rocket science and do not require medical degrees. Many of the people giving vaccines at mass vaccination sites were nursing students and EMTs. The government could spend 2hrs training natural guardsmem/women and deploy them as needed with a medical practitioner supervising each site. Sites could then easily be scaled up and down as needed. 

My question is in that month of travel bans to create time to respond, other than sitting around for more data to come in what was the government doing to prepare? It’s much like what happened prior to the first wave. It wasn’t until the virus hit hard everyone started scrambling to source more ventilators and more PPE. 

Sure, we cannot predict the future. New strains were likely to occur. A Christmas wave was inevitable. We need to learn how to be flexible and adaptive as the threat evolves and fluctuates.


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## Alli

AG_PhamD said:


> My question is in that month of travel bans to create time to respond, other than sitting around for more data to come in what was the government doing to prepare? It’s much like what happened prior to the first wave. It wasn’t until the virus hit hard everyone started scrambling to source more ventilators and more PPE.



Why are we blaming the government, when “we the people” have had what we needed for a year? I’m all for blaming government when it fails us, but we have to do our part, and that includes masking and getting vaccinated.


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## rdrr

Alli said:


> Why are we blaming the government, when “we the people” have had what we needed for a year? I’m all for blaming government when it fails us, but we have to do our part, and that includes masking and getting vaccinated.



I only blame the government for allowing profiteering off of this.  A few days ago I went on amazon (I Know) to look for home rapid tests.   A shop there was selling ten tests for $950.00 and one for $99.00!  I reported them to amazon and stated that the tests should only cost $12 a piece at the most.   When I checked back yesterday they were still selling them.


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## Eric

Alli said:


> Why are we blaming the government, when “we the people” have had what we needed for a year? I’m all for blaming government when it fails us, but we have to do our part, and that includes masking and getting vaccinated.



IMO it's the government's job to serve the people in a crisis, they really should be more organized for this rollout but I also get the hurdles. Most of us, including the government, thought the worst was behind us and started letting our guard down. 

We all have a role to play but they should be leading the charge, if necessary have the NG setup more outposts for vaccines, testing, etc. having to wait two weeks and struggling for appointments is ridiculous at this point, especially with the amount of vaccine available.


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## Alli

rdrr said:


> I only blame the government for allowing profiteering off of this.  A few days ago I went on amazon (I Know) to look for home rapid tests.   A shop there was selling ten tests for $950.00 and one for $99.00!  I reported them to amazon and stated that the tests should only cost $12 a piece at the most.   When I checked back yesterday they were still selling them.



I ordered two tests for our cruise. They were about $30 each. That’s still high, but $99???? Outrageous!


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## AG_PhamD

Alli said:


> Why are we blaming the government, when “we the people” have had what we needed for a year? I’m all for blaming government when it fails us, but we have to do our part, and that includes masking and getting vaccinated.




I absolutely agree there is a large sense of personal responsibility that falls upon the greater public here. But when it comes to things like testing availability (at home or testing sites) that is beyond an individuals control. When it comes to boosters, particularly for those who were not eligible before late November, it’s the same deal. 

Vaccinated individuals can still catch and transmit the virus. I personally know 5 vaccinated people (3 of whom were boosted) in the past 3 days who have caught the virus and displayed pretty significant symptoms (ie temp of 103), thankfully no hospitalizations. Masking is also far from being a sure way of preventing spread or catching it in the first place, especially if we’re talking about cloth or surgical masks. 

I am by no means a “prepper” but I happened to stock up on at-home tests prior to Thanksgiving/Hanukkah to ensure my vulnerable family members are protected (and have since also given away some to friends with high risk family members). I had other friends scrambling to drive to New Hampshire to buy tests. But not everyone has the foresight to do so or has the money to buy test kits they may or may not use. I also made sure my company had dozens of rapid tests and N95s on hand. 

When the CDC and public health officials recommend to get tested before holiday parties (include those vaccinated with no signs of illness), you can bet there’s going to be a massive influx of people for testing. 

Personal responsibility is a big part of this, but when it comes to public healthcare (or any type of healthcare) consideration of the human factor is important. That includes people waiting until the 11th hour to take action.


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## AG_PhamD

rdrr said:


> I only blame the government for allowing profiteering off of this.  A few days ago I went on amazon (I Know) to look for home rapid tests.   A shop there was selling ten tests for $950.00 and one for $99.00!  I reported them to amazon and stated that the tests should only cost $12 a piece at the most.   When I checked back yesterday they were still selling them.






Alli said:


> I ordered two tests for our cruise. They were about $30 each. That’s still high, but $99???? Outrageous!




The fact these at-home rapid-tests generally cost $12-15 a ($25-30 per 2-pack) test is absurd. You’re starting to see some sold in single packs for $10/test. The government, one of the good things they’ve done recently, is get some of the prices down to $7 per test ($14 per kit) at some retailers. This hasn’t really come to fruition yet for the most part though. 

Even $7, while far more reasonable is more than it should be. This is not revolutionary technology and I would assume costs them a most a couple dollars per test, probably less. Since the beginning of their availability, long ago, my company has been buying Abbott BinaxNOW rapid-antigen tests for far less than what the usual retail price, despite being the exact same test, just in different packing (I’m not allowed to say what we pay). And instead of getting 2 per pack you get 40. 

I can say I did get offered On/Go test kits (2 tests per kit), normally cost $30 retail, for as little as $16 per kit by one of our vendors. I was also offered the CareStart test (exact same test in every way, except the medical version, meaning it comes in bulk packaging and you need a special license to buy) for as little as $5.75 per test. 

These retail tests should cost everyone no more than $4-5 per test. And that’s being generous. For one thing, cut down on the ridiculous amount of packaging. All the extra packaging is wasteful, economically and environmentally, and all the extra bulk just makes shipping them less efficient.


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## Edd

We were luckily able to get state provided tests last night. No charge. Not sure how long they’ll take to arrive.


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## AG_PhamD

Edd said:


> We were luckily able to get state provided tests last night. No charge. Not sure how long they’ll take to arrive.




How does you states system work? I know my state (Mass) was setting up some sites in low income areas to give out tests. Additionally, school children were being given 1 tests to take home… no exactly the best population to distribute to IMO but better than distributing no tests I suppose. 

If your state is mailing tests, then I suppose it’s unlikely they’ll be delivered before the holidays. Afterwards I guess is the next best thing.


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## Edd

It was this link my wife used. She tried it about a week ago when NH announced they were available but supply ran out immediately. Then yesterday the governor Tweeted they were available again so we jumped on it. 









						Home - Say Yes! To Covid Test
					

Join the Free At-Home Testing Challenge, in partnership with CDC and NIH, is facilitating access to receive free, rapid, at-home COVID-19 test kits. Test twice a week to help protect your family and our community.  Order your tests through the mail Or pick up your tests […]




					sayyeshometest.org


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## SuperMatt

They were selling tons of tests at the grocery store yesterday. I think they were $9.99.


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## Alli

Sounds like the difference between the $10 tests and the $30 that I purchased is that with the more expensive test (from Abbott), you get someone online walking you through the test and then an app that has the date/time and result of your test sent to an app that can be scanned/viewed when you reach the facility requiring the test.


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## AG_PhamD

SuperMatt said:


> They were selling tons of tests at the grocery store yesterday. I think they were $9.99.




I’ve seen $10 single tests, but not for 2 packs. Unless maybe the state is subsidizing them, which is a possibility. 



Alli said:


> Sounds like the difference between the $10 tests and the $30 that I purchased is that with the more expensive test (from Abbott), you get someone online walking you through the test and then an app that has the date/time and result of your test sent to an app that can be scanned/viewed when you reach the facility requiring the test.




I’m definitely partial to the Abbott tests. There haven’t been independent studies on all the tests, but of the ones that have occurred Abbott comes out on top. Being the first rapid test to get approval, I think they probably fell under the most scrutiny and had the most investment. They’re also the easiest for people to use. The other tests generally are not great with people with poor dexterity. And for an institution administering rapid tests to many people, they are far more efficient. Having to deal with little vials is tiring and some requiring setting multiple timers to process correctly per test which gets quickly overwhelming.


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## Roller

There is a pre-print paper published a couple days ago that suggests lower sensitivity to Omicron for several Ag tests. As always, the study has not been peer reviewed and the results have yet to be confirmed, but definitely interesting.


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## AG_PhamD

Roller said:


> There is a pre-print paper published a couple days ago that suggests lower sensitivity to Omicron for several Ag tests. As always, the study has not been peer reviewed and the results have yet to be confirmed, but definitely interesting.




Interesting. That’s a dense read to review on my vacation and I am by no means an expert in molecular biology, but it would potentially make sense newer tests (ie FlexFlow) have better sensitivity as they were developed later and may have been designed to target newer variants, more similar to omicron. It’s worth noting however that these tests only looked at sensitivity, not specificity. They were ex vivo which doesn’t necessarily correlate to in vivo conditions. It’s also not clear how many times these tests were repeated and what sort of variation occurred within tests of the same manufacturer.  Clearly these tests work against omicron, but it would be nice to have more studies looking into this.


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## Roller

AG_PhamD said:


> Interesting. That’s a dense read to review on my vacation and I am by no means an expert in molecular biology, but it would potentially make sense newer tests (ie FlexFlow) have better sensitivity as they were developed later and may have been designed to target newer variants, more similar to omicron. It’s worth noting however that these tests only looked at sensitivity, not specificity. They were ex vivo which doesn’t necessarily correlate to in vivo conditions. It’s also not clear how many times these tests were repeated and what sort of variation occurred within tests of the same manufacturer.  Clearly these tests work against omicron, but it would be nice to have more studies looking into this.



The FDA requires Ag test developers to have a plan for assessing the impact of viral mutations using clinical or contrived samples. I agree that third-party data (i.e., not from test manufacturers) is also appropriate to assess real-world performance.


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## AG_PhamD

In other news:









						The Biden Administration Rejected an October Proposal for “Free Rapid Tests for the Holidays”
					

With omicron cases spreading like wildfire, the White House is finally taking steps to make free antigen tests available to all. But this fall, Vanity Fair has learned, it dismissed a bold plan to ramp up rapid testing ahead of the holidays. Frustrated experts explain how confusion, distrust...




					www.vanityfair.com
				






> …that too many rapid tests might somehow signal to wary Americans that they could test their way through the pandemic and skip vaccinations altogether. “It’s undeniable that [the administration] took a vaccine-only approach,” said Dr. Michael Mina, a vocal advocate for rapid testing who attended the October White House meeting.




Ugh… seriously?! 

Evidently in late October the federal government turned down a plan to acquire roughly three-quarters of a million tests per month because they didn’t want people to think testing is a substitute for vaccinations. Right, but I’m pretty sure the people unwilling to vaccinate are also unlikely to test at home and test proactively. This is bad policy with no foresight. The lack of preparedness is bad enough on the part of the government. Willful unpreparedness is even worse.


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## SuperMatt

AG_PhamD said:


> In other news:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Biden Administration Rejected an October Proposal for “Free Rapid Tests for the Holidays”
> 
> 
> With omicron cases spreading like wildfire, the White House is finally taking steps to make free antigen tests available to all. But this fall, Vanity Fair has learned, it dismissed a bold plan to ramp up rapid testing ahead of the holidays. Frustrated experts explain how confusion, distrust...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.vanityfair.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Ugh… seriously?!
> 
> Evidently in late October the federal government turned down a plan to acquire roughly three-quarters of a million tests per month because they didn’t want people to think testing is a substitute for vaccinations. Right, but I’m pretty sure the people unwilling to vaccinate are also unlikely to test at home and test proactively. This is bad policy with no foresight. The lack of preparedness is bad enough on the part of the government. Willful unpreparedness is even worse.



Did you prefer the Trump policy of mocking those wearing masks and telling people it was just the flu, and even testing positive, then not telling anybody despite going to the debate and the SCOTUS nomination party?

Just wondering if you think Biden has been better than Trump so far.

Biden hasn’t been perfect, but he’s been massively better than Trump IMHO. And vaccines *should* be a higher priority than tests. A test doesn’t prevent or cure anything, although it is a useful too, for telling people when they should isolate.


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## fischersd

rdrr said:


> I only blame the government for allowing profiteering off of this.  A few days ago I went on amazon (I Know) to look for home rapid tests.   A shop there was selling ten tests for $950.00 and one for $99.00!  I reported them to amazon and stated that the tests should only cost $12 a piece at the most.   When I checked back yesterday they were still selling them.



Yep, I get you - but price gouging is the Amazon way.  I've seen grocery items here sold for more than 10x their price in the retail stores (guessing they're taking advantage of Canadians living abroad, wanting flavours of home).

Also, Bezos is an evil bastard - I'm sure he's set / encouraging these policies. 

And, a little more on topic - our local province hasn't yet invested in making rapid tests available - and our testing centres are overwhelmed, so we KNOW our daily case counts are way higher than what's being reported.  The 5th wave (at least for case counts) is making the others seem like ripples in a pond.


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## AG_PhamD

SuperMatt said:


> Did you prefer the Trump policy of mocking those wearing masks and telling people it was just the flu, and even testing positive, then not telling anybody despite going to the debate and the SCOTUS nomination party?
> 
> Just wondering if you think Biden has been better than Trump so far.
> 
> Biden hasn’t been perfect, but he’s been massively better than Trump IMHO. And vaccines *should* be a higher priority than tests. A test doesn’t prevent or cure anything, although it is a useful too, for telling people when they should isolate.




Ummm no. As a healthcare provider my concern is for the public’s needs being met. I could care less who is in charge, rather that whoever is in charge is ensuring resources are available (and is providing accurate information). 

I think the Biden administration was for the most part handling this as good as possible up until this omicron surge. 

Regarding Trump, on a technical level I think things were handled as good as could be for a novel pandemic and the entire public healthcare system being completely unprepared. That said, from a messaging/PR standpoint- absolutely atrocious. My other gripe would be the nonsensical state vs state bidding that was going on. Some of that appears to be continuing right now with states trying to procure rapid tests. 

To some extent, a lot of these problems fall on the CDC and FDA as they are the ones advising. I don’t expect politicians to be medical professionals or epidemiologists. 

Regarding the FDA and testing specifically, they bungled getting out an effective PCR test in the beginning. With the rapid tests, they have made it very hard to get approval. I have a friend at Roche pharma who said they developed a very good rapid test about a year ago. The FDA rejected the test however because a lot of the studies were done outside the US. Roche can resubmit data after doing further clinical trials in the US, but then they get pushed to the end of the line for the FDA to review their new application…. Despite being one of the companies most able to mass produce tests quickly. 

There is obviously a need to have these tests validated, but I’m not sure why the location of the trials has any bearing on the validity of the test. Europe has a bunch of approved tests that we don’t have for the same reason. And the benefit of many tests is not only for supply, but also cost. That’s why we’re paying 4x+ the cost versus many other parts of the world. 

It would also be nice if the tests were able to be processed directly through insurance at pharmacies, just like a prescription. That way people don’t have to buy the test and then send the receipt into the insurance, and 2 months later maybe get their money back. I’m sure insurers lobbied against that with the hope people won’t submit for reimbursement. 

Anyways, if anyone needs tests I can point you in the direction of where they are available. You have to plan way ahead though right now.


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## SuperMatt

AG_PhamD said:


> Regarding Trump, on a technical level I think things were handled as good as could be for a novel pandemic and the entire public healthcare system being completely unprepared.



The national ventilator stockpile disaster is one huge example of things NOT being "handled as good as could be."

The Government Accountability Office strongly disagrees with the above assertion too.









						COVID-19: Critical Vaccine Distribution, Supply Chain, Program Integrity, and Other Challenges Require Focused Federal Attention
					

This review of the federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic is our fifth comprehensive report since June 2020 about the implementation of the CARES...




					www.gao.gov
				




And don’t forget, Trump fired the pandemic response team in 2018 to save a little bit of money.









						Did Trump Administration Fire the US Pandemic Response Team?
					

As a new coronavirus spread in 2020, so did concerns about the United States' preparedness for a potential pandemic.




					www.snopes.com
				




I could go on, but the failures of the administration can be summed up by the fact that we had more COVID-19 deaths than any other country in the world. Yes, “messaging” played a part, but the technical response was abysmal.

It seems to me that you’re looking at the 2020 pandemic response through some *very* rose-colored glasses. To say we did “as good as could be” when literally every country on the planet responded better than us... well I just don’t know what to say to that.


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## JayMysteri0

Seems you can order free tests from the USPS already.

It isn't listed anywhere on the "front" of the site, but here's a link for ordering



> __
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> COVID Home Tests | USPS
> 
> 
> COVID Home Tests | USPS
> 
> 
> 
> 
> special.usps.com


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## Runs For Fun

JayMysteri0 said:


> Seems you can order free tests from the USPS already.
> 
> It isn't listed anywhere on the "front" of the site, but here's a link for ordering



Interesting. Just placed my order!


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## DT

COVID.gov/tests - Free at-home COVID-19 tests
					

Every home in the U.S. is eligible to order a 3rd round of free at-home tests. Order yours today.




					www.covidtests.gov
				




Used that a few hours ago, got 4 coming 

(Same, but different ...)

Oh I see that just links over to the USPS, OK, the wife ordered from the covidtests.gov site and I didn't realize that she wound up on the USPS site ... duh ...


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## DT

We need Yay for a tracking thread ...


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## fooferdoggie

man that was easy.can you imagine how bad if trump did it. well trump never would have done it.


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## SuperMatt

fooferdoggie said:


> man that was easy.can you imagine how bad if trump did it. well trump never would have done it.



More testing just leads to more cases, dontcha know? Plus, we need to keep the tests here in our national stockpile with all the ventilators.


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## AG_PhamD

DT said:


> COVID.gov/tests - Free at-home COVID-19 tests
> 
> 
> Every home in the U.S. is eligible to order a 3rd round of free at-home tests. Order yours today.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.covidtests.gov
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Used that a few hours ago, got 4 coming
> 
> (Same, but different ...)
> 
> Oh I see that just links over to the USPS, OK, the wife ordered from the covidtests.gov site and I didn't realize that she wound up on the USPS site ... duh ...




Yeah, I found that interesting USPS is handling the order. I guess they’re already setup for such a thing. 

I put in a order for my parents around 1:00 PM EST today. Hopefully they’ll be delivered in a reasonable amount of time. The official statement is 7-12 days, but the site also says they’re not shipping until the end of the January.

I bought a bunch for myself/family before Thanksgiving. I’m also PCR tested 2x per week at my hospital. So I figured I wouldn’t waste tests I don’t need. 

I also have a decent stockpile for my business- both medically sourced and OTC (same tests, different packaging/branding). Medically sourced tests come in boxes of 20 or 40 depending on the brand but only have 1-2 bottles of reagent instead of vials for each test. Technically they also have be administered by a HCP even though they’re the same tests as the OTC ones. It’s annoying because the OTC kits tend to cost 1.5x-2x+. 

We give the OTC tests to our clients if they’re going on pass (ie trip home) or to staff to use at home. Abbott and On/Go allow for patients to upload their results to us which is handy. (I believe iHealth has this too but we’re not setup for it yet). 

This is part of the stockpile: 

(This is for ~26 patients + staff). We go through tests pretty quickly fairly quickly right now though and much of this was ordered pre-omicron in preparation for what we thought would be a winter delta spike.


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## AG_PhamD

fooferdoggie said:


> man that was easy.can you imagine how bad if trump did it. well trump never would have done it.




That’s entirely possible, but I would wouldn’t speak so soon of this being “easy”. 7-12 day delivery is a bit of an extended wait (honestly if they wanted the most outsource to the most competent logistics company, let Amazon handle this, not USPS). 

I am concerned that as of last week the government had only physically procured 10m of the 500m tests. With 4 tests per household, that’s only tests for 2.5m households. There are 123m households in the US. I don’t know how quickly they expect to build their inventory, but I think there’s a decent possibility they fall way behind the demand. The test manufactures couldn’t keep up with demand because of omicron before the government announced this plan, I’m not sure how much better than they can do now. 

Combining the information that these tests aren’t shipping until “the end of January” and it takes “7-12 days for delivery”, this wave might be essentially over by the time most people get their tests. 

But for the sake of public health, I very much hope my concerns are proven wrong. 

Honestly, the most annoying decision I think the government made was how the reimbursement works with rapid tests and insurance. Manually making claims is a PITA and I’m sure the insurance lobby requested this to ensure as few reimbursements as possible. It’s also very disappointing MEDICARE of all insurers isn’t allowing OTC reimbursement.


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## AG_PhamD

Just an FYI for those looking for tests:

Walmart has Abbott tests in stock available with ~2 day delivery. $20


			Robot or human?


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## DT

AG_PhamD said:


> That’s entirely possible, but I would wouldn’t speak so soon of this being “easy”. 7-12 day delivery is a bit of an extended wait (honestly if they wanted the most outsource to the most competent logistics company, let Amazon handle this, not USPS).





Ordered on Jan 24th, arrived today:


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## Eric

DT said:


> Ordered on Jan 24th, arrived today:
> 
> 
> View attachment 11400



Got ours yesterday as well.


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## Cmaier

Eric said:


> Got ours yesterday as well.



USPS says ours are coming today.


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## Runs For Fun

Hmmm. Still waiting for mine. I ordered the day before it was supposed to go live.


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## Eric

We got so many we might test ourselves over these sniffles we've had for the last 3 days (that are probably just allergies).


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## Cmaier

Mine came. Yay. Probably won’t get a chance to actually use them, but nice to have some extras on hand.


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## Eric

Cmaier said:


> Mine came. Yay. Probably won’t get a chance to actually use them, but nice to have some extras on hand.



Me and a buddy hung out for the first time in a while a couple of weeks ago because we tested the day before, if nothing else it's peace of mind, even if not 100% guaranteed.


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## Clix Pix

Even though I ordered early-on, there is no sign of mine yet!  Fortunately I am not in a hurry, as no recent exposures (of which I'm aware, anyway).     There is also something else that I am expecting in the mail which hasn't arrived either, so I'm guessing that it, too, will arrive early in the next week or so.   Some of my neighbors have already received theirs while others of us haven't yet.  You just never know with the USPS.


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## ronntaylor

Ordered for our house in NYC and apartment in Virginia. Nothing in VA. In-laws didn’t mention receiving tests in NYC.


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## fooferdoggie

I just got a email with the tracking number. looks mine is coming from my state.


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## Huntn

AG_PhamD said:


> To some degree that’s true, however even if everyone got their vaccine as soon as possible, I suspect we’d very much still be in the same boat. Remember that boosters were not authorized until November 19th or 20th. Omicron hit the news November 24th. While having a bunch of eligible people still un-boosted at this time (seniors, immuncompromised, healthcare providers) definitely adds to the demand unnecessarily, the overwhelming bulk of the population eligible were not beforehand.
> 
> A lot more could have been done to inform people of boosters and eligibility times. I came across countless seniors who got the J&J and had no idea they were due for a booster after just 2 months. Plus there is a complete lack of knowledge around the acceptability of mixing and matching vaccines. Tons of resources went into pushing vaccines, by comparison very little went into pushing boosters. At least around here.
> 
> Sure, resources are limited, but it depends what we’re talking about. In terms of vaccines, we have so many stockpiled that millions are at risk of expiring and being dumped. The problem there is vaccination sites. My state and many others took down temporary mass vax sites long ago. Thats fine considering they were no longer really needed, but they should have the ability to go back into place within a couple weeks.
> 
> I think most would agree testing has never got quite to where it needs to be and is certainly lacking compared the countries doing it best. At the point, the issue is less about the lack of physical infrastructure (machines, processing labs) and more about the collection infrastructure. Not to mention now on-site, rapid PCR is far more common.
> 
> As for rapid tests, this goes hand in hand with the lack of testing in this country. The cost issue should have been addressed long ago. Insurance reimbursement is the right thing to do, but not via manual claims reimbursement. That’s too time energy/consuming for what it is, too much opportunity for claims not to be paid, and doesn’t sold the cost issue if it takes 2 months to get reimbursed. More tests would be demanded if the price was there. Companies are reluctant to make more despite having the capacity over fear they won’t be purchased (like with H1N1). And by the time the govt sets up their mail order test program, this wave will probably be over with.
> 
> Both test sample collection and vaccination are not rocket science and do not require medical degrees. Many of the people giving vaccines at mass vaccination sites were nursing students and EMTs. The government could spend 2hrs training natural guardsmem/women and deploy them as needed with a medical practitioner supervising each site. Sites could then easily be scaled up and down as needed.
> 
> My question is in that month of travel bans to create time to respond, other than sitting around for more data to come in what was the government doing to prepare? It’s much like what happened prior to the first wave. It wasn’t until the virus hit hard everyone started scrambling to source more ventilators and more PPE.
> 
> Sure, we cannot predict the future. New strains were likely to occur. A Christmas wave was inevitable. We need to learn how to be flexible and adaptive as the threat evolves and fluctuates.



_To some degree that’s true, however even if everyone got their vaccine as soon as possible, I suspect we’d very much still be in the same boat_

I disagree. If we (95%) had enthusiastically embraced the horrible inconvenience of wearing masks  and flocked to get our shots, we’d be way ahead of where we are. The reason it has been drawn out for so long is in part because of _My Libertay to be a Stupid Selfish Ass, _and sinister politicians who purposely placed doubts and false reasons for distrust in their Koolaid drinkers’ brains. Now we are asked to wear masks to protect the dummies who are perpetuating this pandemic.


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## SuperMatt

Huntn said:


> _To some degree that’s true, however even if everyone got their vaccine as soon as possible, I suspect we’d very much still be in the same boat_
> 
> I disagree. If we (95%) had enthusiastically embraced the horrible inconvenience of wearing masks  and flocked to get our shots, we’d be way ahead of where we are. The reason it has been drawn out for so long is in part because of _My Libertay to be a Stupid Selfish Ass, _and sinister politicians who purposely placed doubts and false reasons for distrust in their Koolaid drinkers’ brains. Now we are asked to wear masks to protect the dummies who are perpetuating this pandemic.



We would definitely NOT be in the same boat. A simple look at the statistics from nations with higher vaccination rates tell us that. Look at Canada for example: 78% fully vaccinated, 85% partially. 879 deaths for every 1 million people. America: 64% fully vaccinated, 76% partially… 2,715 deaths per 1 million people. At the beginning, everybody said “herd immunity” would be somewhere above 75%. Canada is slightly above that and has 1/3 the death rate. So preventing deaths was (and still is) totally feasible. We just have millions of people in America that bought the anti-vaccine lies from Trump and associates.


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## Huntn

SuperMatt said:


> We would definitely NOT be in the same boat. A simple look at the statistics from nations with higher vaccination rates tell us that. Look at Canada for example: 78% fully vaccinated, 85% partially. 879 deaths for every 1 million people. America: 64% fully vaccinated, 76% partially… 2,715 deaths per 1 million people. At the beginning, everybody said “herd immunity” would be somewhere above 75%. Canada is slightly above that and has 1/3 the death rate. So preventing deaths was (and still is) totally feasible. We just have millions of people in America that bought the anti-vaccine lies from Trump and associates.



It seems almost impossible to discuss COVID without someone inserting their political screws, and what I mean is misinformation or false spin even if it is subtle. It can’t be claimed that politics has no place in the discussion  because it certainly does when one of our major parties has dirty hands when it comes to the mess we have experienced. My only wish is when politics are discussed associated with the pandemic, political discussion focuses on  an accurate portrayal of the missteps and manipulations, not making equivalence arguments.


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## fooferdoggie

got my 4 tests today.


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## Runs For Fun

Clix Pix said:


> Even though I ordered early-on, there is no sign of mine yet!  Fortunately I am not in a hurry, as no recent exposures (of which I'm aware, anyway).     There is also something else that I am expecting in the mail which hasn't arrived either, so I'm guessing that it, too, will arrive early in the next week or so.   Some of my neighbors have already received theirs while others of us haven't yet.  You just never know with the USPS.



I seem to be in the same boat. Ordered early but there doesn’t seem to be any sign of them showing up.


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## fooferdoggie

my daughter who is not even am ill away but a different county ordered hers a few minutes before me but I got ours. today,


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## AG_PhamD

My sister in Colorado apparently got a message today she’ll be receiving them soon. That’s the only person I know of though that’s received any communication. 

I would imagine they’re prioritizing test shipments to skew towards areas with high case loads and probably zip codes with lower incomes. Generally speaking the further west you go the higher the rate of cases at the moment. 

A few days ago I saw tests back on the shelves at CVS which is a good sign… still $24 for Abbott and $10 for FlowFlex which is far higher than it should be, even if private insurance is forced to cover it. 
Thankfully Massachusetts cases have been dropping precipitously as have hospitalizations. The state is encouraging colleges to start winding down the more oppressive COVID restrictions and start moving back towards “normal” life. 

————
Testing related PSA:

Empowered Diagnostics is recalling their CovClear COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Test and  ImmunoPass COVID-19 Neutralizing Antibody Rapid Test “due to concerns of false positive and false negative results” which apparently is code for “selling tests that say they are FDA authorized but aren’t and getting caught”. 









						Stop Using Empowered Diagnostics COVID-19 Tests
					

These tests have not been authorized, cleared, or approved. The FDA is concerned about the higher risk of false results when using these tests.




					www.fda.gov


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## fooferdoggie

AG_PhamD said:


> My sister in Colorado apparently got a message today she’ll be receiving them soon. That’s the only person I know of though that’s received any communication.



I got a email with the tracking number.


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## Clix Pix

I am still waiting for mine, plus a couple of other things.....  Mail has slowed down, of course, and in this already congested area, having extra stuff to deliver (COVID tests, end-of-year statements for Income Tax purposes, etc.) it definitely seems to be delayed.  Weather hasn't helped much, either.


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## AG_PhamD

My coworker lives in the same neighborhood as me and was quick to sign up for the free test kits on the first day available. He got his test kits yesterday, Abbott brand. He’s the only person I know in the area that’s received them. 

Interestingly, of the few cases of people I’ve heard of people getting these tests, the majority seem to be in affluent areas. Maybe there’s some bias in that observation, but I’m not the only one who has noticed this. I’m curious how distribution is determined. 

Tests have been back on the shelves for quite some time so it’s kind of silly at this point, except for people who would otherwise have trouble affording to buy the tests.


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## Clix Pix

Still waiting here.....


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## Runs For Fun

Finally got an email today saying they will be delivered Friday.


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