Covid tests are not just for making sure we’re taking care of ourselves; they’re keeping us from spreading it to someone else. Especially now that it’s summer and we’ll be visiting with older family members, the spread of Covid is even more important. It’s important we check often.
Rapid tests are great, but they aren’t always accurate. There have been several times over the past couple of years where we knew something was off, but our rapid tests came back negative. Later, we found out that we did indeed have Covid after taking a PCR test. The problem with PCR tests is that they can take 24 hours to 2 days before getting the results. If you have a trip coming up or are going to be around elderly family members, you need to be sure and you need test results quickly.
Lucira Check It from Lucira Health has created a Covid test that provides PCR-quality accuracy with rapid results. Here’s how you use Lucira to check and see if you have Covid:
You sneeze and cough; then you hope. For the past several years, that has been our lives. We play a game called, “Is it Covid?” I’ve had Covid twice (that I know of), and one time it felt like I had a cold. The first time was horrible, and it seemed to last forever. I had trouble breathing and coughed all hours of the day. The effects of Covid lingered and lasted for months. Even so, I was one of the lucky ones. Many of us know someone who died after contracting Covid or know someone who lost someone.
I didn’t know that I had Covid the second time. It was over a year since the first time I had it and I was vaccinated. I had a sniffle and thought I had a cold. My kids became sick, and I took them to the doctor. The doctor gave them a Covid test and asked if I wanted to take one while I was there. I agreed, and we all got our noses tickled. My kids tested positive after the rapid test, but I tested negative. A week later, when the PCR tests came back, I too was positive. After my kids tested positive, I assumed I already had it and quarantined with them.
We see it happening with the rapid tests. At my kids’ schools, kids are tested frequently with both the rapid test and the PCR test. Many times, the rapid tests come back negative. Days later, a letter and a phone call come in with a positive result. Walking around asymptomatic or slightly sick puts others at risk. We might fight off the disease, but others may not have that luxury. It’s important that we are still cautious and check ourselves often.
A reliable test is also important for traveling. Cruises and many countries still require a negative test before arriving. During the winter, my family had to take a rapid test and a PCR test before we entered Canada and needed to show our negative results. It stressed me out waiting for the PCR test to come back. Thankfully, we were all negative and could enjoy our ski trip.
I had to play the game, “Is it Covid?” recently. And I’ll probably play it again and again and again. So will you. Having a reliable Covid test handy is important to keep others safe and keep the disease from spreading. My Covid test came back negative, and I could go on with my daily activities. It’s nice to have Lucira Check-It close by for our next round of “Is it Covid?”
To watch the YouTube how-to video, click here.
Read the Lucira Check-It instructions here.
To purchase your LUCIRA Check-It, click here.
*This home test kit has not been FDA cleared or approved. This home test kit has been authorized by FDA under EUA. This home test kit has been authorized only for the testing of nasal swabs for detection of nucleic acid from SARS-CoV-2, not for any other viruses or pathogens. This home test kit is only authorized for the duration of the declaration that circumstances exist justifying the authorization of emergency use of IVDs for detection and/or diagnosis of COVID-19 under Section 564(b)(1) of the Act, 21 U.S.C. § 360bbb-3(b)(1), unless the authorization is terminated or revoked sooner.
For FDA Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) Only. For Over-The-Counter Use. For In Vitro Diagnostic (IVD) Use.
Sales from this website are with Lucira Health, the manufacturer of the FDA EUA Lucira Check It COVID-19 Test Kit.
1. Excluding samples with very low levels of virus (>37.5 Ct), Lucira Community Testing Study 07A-CLI 006 Fall 2020 and Lucira Community Testing Study 07A-CLI 007 Winter 2021 (n=394)
2. Lucira Usability Study 07A-CLI 004/005 Summer 2020 (n=352)
*I have been compensated for the review and links are affiliate links. However, the words are my own.