In the early days of the pandemic, it was challenging to know exactly if you were positive and how to protect yourself against COVID-19. Nowadays, you can get tested to find out if you are positive as well as get vaccinations to reduce the impact of the virus if you ever get it as well as protect and boost your immune system against the said virus.
Another improvement is that you can even get tested conveniently through the use of a COVID test kit. Since it’s so accessible, some people don’t know exactly when they should consider buying one.
If you’re looking for a reason to buy a COVID test kit, this article is for you.
What is a COVID Test Kit?
A COVID test kit is likely a rapid antigen test that you can take to find out if you are currently infected with COVID or not. It’s worth noting that the rapid antigen test is different from the antibody test.
The rapid antigen test, which is what usually would be in a COVID test kit, can tell you if you are positive for COVID-19 right now.
Even though it may not be as sensitive as an RT-PCR test and can lead to false negatives, if you get a positive result from it, that means that you currently have the infection. An antibody test, however, will indicate if you’ve been infected in the past rather than right now.
5 Reasons You Need a COVID Test Kit
If you’re wondering whether to order a lateral flow test or not for COVID-19, then here are five good reasons that should show you that you need to get tested.
You’re Showing and Feeling COVID-19 Symptoms
Even if COVID test kits or self-tests using rapid antigen testing isn’t as sensitive as an RT-PCR, if you test positive for it, this is classified as currently testing positive for COVID-19. Therefore, to be as safe as possible, if you’re feeling symptoms and want to know the likelihood of it being from the SARS-CoV-2 virus, get a COVID test kit.
You’ve Been Near Someone at Some Point Who Recently Tested Positive for COVID-19
Even if you’re not feeling symptoms yourself, you might still need to get a COVID test kit. Why? If you found out that you’ve interacted with someone recently who then turned out to be positive for COVID-19, it’s a good idea to test yourself and see if you might have caught it from them as well.
Even if you’re asymptomatic, you can still infect someone else. Therefore, it’s a good idea to get tested for COVID if you’ve been near someone who’s positive for it.
You Attended a Mass Gathering or Event or Are Planning to Attend One
If you want to attend an event where you’re sure there are going to be a lot of people or have attended one already, consider getting a COVID test kit to check if you’ll test positive.
For some people, like students going back to school or employees going back to the office, it is important that they take that test so that they can attend these gatherings or events.
You Can’t Get an RT-PCR Just Yet
Another reason why you should consider getting a COVID test kit is if you are planning on getting an RT-PCR test but are in a situation where you can’t get one just yet.
Rapid antigen testing is usually much more affordable, convenient, and accessible than an RT-PCR test. However, the latter is more reliable in terms of results.
If you can’t get an RT-PCR test, you can try getting a COVID test kit at first.
You’re Going to Meet with An Immuno-Compromised Person
Not everyone is able to be asymptomatic or have mild symptoms if they do get infected with COVID-19. Some people, like immuno-compromised people, can have a harder time adapting to or healing from it. Therefore, if you’re meeting a loved one or a person who classifies as immuno-compromised, it’s always a good idea to take a test as close to the day you’re meeting with them as possible.
If you fall under any of the reasons above, then that means that you should definitely buy a COVID test kit. That way, you can keep yourself safe and you can keep others around you protected from the virus as well.