Apparently, combination COVID-19 and flu rapid antigen home tests have been approved or EUAed in the US for a while, but barely noticed: https://www.fda.gov/media/179276/download https://www.fda.gov/media/171961/download https://www.fda.gov/media/178954/download
There now appear to be several brands available in the US.
But they do not include RSV, like some combination rapid antigen tests available in other countries.
Correction to your post: Lucira is not an antigen test. It is a molecular test (uses a nucleic acid amplification reaction).
Corrected previous post.
I bought some combo testsācovid and flu A/B. It was under $100 for 40 tests. I kept 1/2 and sold other 1/2 to my PT. It was a convoluted process buying them from Germany, since they no longer ship directly to US. Had to mail it to someone in Europe and have them send it to me. A friend who came to visit took a test to be sure he was healthy after travel (he was). He said testing was pretty simple. (Nasal swab, solution, wells in a plastic container.) Expiration date is in about a year. Didnāt notice any RSV test kits they offered.
I also bought some nasal spray that is supposed to kill all the virus in your nose, enovid. That was about $23/bottle, much cheaper than Israel. These prices were after paying the postage and giving a tip to our European friend.
I just threw out all of my Covid tests because they were all expired and quite old. I will order more if and when they become available from the government
I used really old tests last summer. The only one that didnāt work clearly no longer had enough fluid in it.
Thanks. I put them in a trash bag but didnāt throw out. I can dig them out easily. Iāll look again. Some are pretty old, like 2 years old.
Iām not sure about the actual design of and contents of these tests, but Iād be careful with using tests that expired long time ago even though the control line appears bright. There might be incomplete extraction of viral material into the buffer if some components deteriorated. So I would throw out tests that expired 2 years ago.
Wow!! $600!! It reminded me of last Dec when I had very bad coughs. My PCP said her office offered a combo test (RSA + Covid). Somehow, I naively thought that it was free (at the time, Covid tests were still free around here). So I went down to get tested. (I stayed in a car and was swabbed by a nurse). The result was RSV but what hurt was that it cost me $150 for it.
Today, I tested negative. So, it took about a week for covid to run its course with me. I took a handful of Tylenols and drank a few gallons of water. I feel very fortunate.
Was it from https://www.maskwholesale.eu/rapid-tests/self-tests/fluorecare-sars-cov-2-influenza-a-b-rsv-4in1-antigen-self-test_350_1606/ ? That site does say they ship to the US, but at minimum shipping cost of 49,90ā¬.
However, COVID-19 + flu (but not RSV) tests can now be bought from US retailers (including Amazon). Shipping costs are much lower, but the cost per test is higher.
I did buy from them (maskwholesale) but as I mentioned, through a friend who forwarded it from UK. Shipping was free to Europe but I paid for postage to us from UK.
I am in the habit of asking how much something costs before I commit, especially in the doctor or dentist office. I know sometimes people are embarrassed to ask their doctors, but unfortunately we are the best advocates for ourselves.
I just had the latest Moderna shot. I drank a lot of water before and after, didnāt take aspirin. I did feel cold at night (maybe fever) and tired for 24 hours. Other than that, didnāt have a lot of side effects.
Believe me, I I have learned my lesson. I guess, somehow, I lumped this combo test with the free acovid tests offered at various sites at the time.
Also, my PCP usually mentions blood tests that may cost me extra like vitamin D. She did not mention cost of this test. Still, I should have asked.
Seems that the going rate for a vitamin D test is $80-110 in the US, which is more expensive than the 25ā¬ that I recently saw advertised at a pharmacy in Europe.
I agree that two years is a long time. However, I donāt believe that expired tests will give false positives.
If you are concerned enough to test (exposed, symptomatic, etc) and an expired test comes back negative, it is best to do a second test that is not expired.
Absolutely.
Iām not sure that providers can give info about costs, since there are so many different plans and deductible rules. Our PCP will give immunizations, but he encourages us to use our normal drug store options to avoid risk of extra costs.
Not to side track the Covid convo, but a few years ago, my husband received his flu shot while at his PCP during his physical. I am the one that deals with medical billing; imagine my surprise when the practice bill came for $175 for the flu shot! Seems the PCP purchases the vials from a company not covered by our insurance. I was furious, and told my husband I was not paying that bill. As the PCP was a profession friend of my husbands, he didnāt want me making a stink about the bill; my middle name is āhot headā!
I never made a call, but the balance was written off. Not sure if the PCP did that for all, accepted whatever payment he received, and would write off for all plans that didnāt cover the cost. That was the first and last time I allowed my husband to get vaccines at that office! When we go to our pharmacy, we know the charge, if any, before receiving the vaccines.
Wow, $600 for a test is pretty steep. I would like to have known that in advance as well but agree itās often really hard to get a price. Before I had a follow up 3D mammogram, I called the center and my insurer to try to get a quote for my out of pocket cost but they really were having a tough time coming up with a number. It ended up <$100 but was very frustrating.
They can. They all have access to your providerās info once you give them your insurance information. They could tell me my copay, whatās covered etc. They could even tell me last time I had my regular check up even if Iāve switched doctors. Itās all done electronically, via API. In NYC all doctors want you to pay in full before you walk out the door. The only way they could do that is to know exactly how you owe based on your coverage.