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by pcthrowaway 1114 days ago
You're splitting hairs here.

I live in Canada, where pharmacies have been giving out free "COVID-19 antigen" tests, which initially were required to take for people who either had symptoms of COVID-19 or had been in contact with other people who had tested positive, even if they didn't have symptoms.

I took a look at the test kit right now, and it doesn't make this distinction; whether or not you're symptomatic, the test tells you whether you have likely been infected with COVID-19 if you test positive for COVID-19 antigens. Let me read you some of what's on the box:

> If you do not have symptoms of COVID-19, you will need at least two tests per person.

> COVID-19 Antigen self-test for infection detection

> in-vitro diagnostics for detection and/or diagnosis of COVID-19

From the instruction booklet included:

> If your first or second test is positive, then proteins from the virus that causes COVID-19 have been found in your specimen and you likely have COVID-19

It does insinuate that there's a possibility you could test positive and still not have COVID-19, but there's no indication that this is related to whether or not you're symptomatic. Everything about the packaging and instructions indicates to me that if you test positive, you likely have COVID-19, even if you're asymptomatic

1 comments

On a consumer product? That's called marketing, and is one of the results of what I'm complaining about. It reinforces the misunderstanding.