Free Rapid COVID Tests Available Now: What You Need To Know/ Universal Healthcare Agreement at U.N./Take the Long COVID Poll
Take advantage of the tests but understand what the government isn't openly telling you. Government Aid or Government Cover Up?
The government is offering free rapid COVID tests.
Here are five things to keep in mind:
The tests are unreliable for the first 4 to 5 days(2) from symptom onset, and false negative results are still common beyond that.
If you have symptoms and the test is negative at day 4 or 5 from symptom onset, test again 48 hours later, to confirm negative results.
If you test positive, get a PCR test to confirm the result so you have a record of being positive. This may be necessary for disability insurance or SS Disability in the future if you suffer from long-term symptoms. People are denied for not providing proof of infection.
You can anonymously report the results of any brand of at-home COVID-19 test on MakeMyTestCount.org, a website developed through the National Institutes of Health's Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx®) Tech program.
Stay home if symptoms persist. Most people are contagious for 8 days or more, and up to 20 days for some. (3)
Test again before going back to work or school, even if symptoms have resolved, to prevent onward transmission.
Remember, while rapid tests are convenient, they are not always accurate.
More important points that you should be aware of.
The tests almost certainly will still use a nasal swab despite studies showing greater viral loads in the throat and saliva.(1)(2) Using a combined saliva and nasal swab is shown to be more effective. If people don’t know that, they may think they are negative and return to school or work while still contagious.
The CDC has not updated the guidance to extend the isolation time beyond 5 days despite nearly every study showing people are most infectious for 8 to 10 days, with many still contagious well beyond that, going out to 20+ days.(3)
What the Rapid Test Can Show
How fast the color shows up in the positive spot on the rapid test and how long it takes to show up are informative to how infectious someone is.
This is a pretty good tool to give you a general idea of how infectious you are and the viral load being exhaled by the colors of the bar and the time it takes for the bar to show color.
Government Aid or Government Cover Up?
If the government was intent on protecting people they could do much more.
It's important to take advantage of the opportunity for free COVID-19 tests, but what makes this situation appear more like a cover-up than genuine assistance is the absence of additional guidance.
There are no reminders to wait until 4 or 5 days from symptom onset to use the test, or to take a second test 48 hours after a negative result and no provided website for recording positive results to aid public health data.
When providing these free tests, it would be a great opportunity to provide information on the efficacy of N-95 masks or on the importance of preventing airborne transmission within schools, homes, or businesses by increasing ventilation and air filtration. Despite tons of supporting data and science, they aren’t actively promoting this.
A study from January 2023 shows "Wearing of masks eliminated surface deposition and reduces the viral RNA in residual droplet nuclei which lends additional support to use of facemasks as a preventative measure in communities to reduce transmission."
“The vast majority of exhaled virions in both the supermarket and the passenger car remained entrained in the air until they were ventilated out of the space.”
Another study from July 2023 delves into airborne transmission within a high-rise building. The CDC has a study saying, “This demonstrates that when all students and staff participate in universal mask-wearing, transmission is reduced by 72%.”
If the government was being genuine and offering these tests in good faith, they could also offer to mail out free N-95 masks for adults and children. At the 2022 State of the Union Address, Biden said, “If you’re immunocompromised or have some other vulnerability, we have treatments and free high-quality masks.” Well, Mr. President, none of the available monoclonal antibodies work against BA.2.86 and its sub-variant. Paxlovid efficacy has significantly reduced. Tens of millions can’t take Paxlovid due to other health conditions. Where are the high quality free masks?
Since they do not offer this as we go into the 4th school year with COVID, it appears as if they do not want to remind people that COVID is airborne.
The CDC hasn’t updated the guidance to extend the isolation time beyond 5 days despite every study showing people are most infectious for 8 to 10days, with many still contagious well beyond that, going out to 20 +days.
A study published Sept 8th 2023, says “that participants exhaled an average of 80 SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA copies per minute during the first 8 days of infection, with significant variability both between and within individuals, including spikes over 800 copies a minute in some patients. After day 8, there was a steep drop to levels nearing the limit of detection, persisting for up to 20 days. We further found that levels of exhaled viral RNA increased with self-rated symptom-severity, though individual variation was high. Levels of exhaled viral RNA did not differ across age, sex, time of day, vaccination status or viral variant.”
This study says, “SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in exhaled air in 12 (24.5%) patients up to 23 days after symptom onset.”
“Interestingly, the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in exhaled air was not limited to patients with high SARS-CoV-2 viral load in the combined nasopharyngeal throat swab.” Note that they used a combined nose and throat swab, unlike the tests being sent out.
If they wanted to be transparent they could say, “Ensure you obtain a PCR test through your doctor or at the very least, take a picture of your positive at-home test result and save it. Keeping a record of all positive results could prove invaluable should you need to apply for disability insurance or Social Security Disability benefits. Claims often face denials without concrete proof of infection.”
Instead most people don’t go to the doctor, therefore don’t have a record at the doctors office and throw away the tests so the positive tests go unrecorded, potentially absolving the government of monetary liability by making it challenging for individuals to prove their COVID-19 history when making a claim for Long COVID disability benefits. Sadly, this is the most likely reason for the government to send out the “free” tests. Think about it. What else does the government provide to everyone for free? You know the old saying, “nothing in life is free.” In economics, there is a concept known as "opportunity cost," which suggests that even when something is seemingly free, you must consider what you are giving up by choosing it. Let’s take a look at the numbers to see why the government would want to provide these tests.
In November of 2022 it was reported that "the Social Security Administration has identified about 40,000 disability claims that “include indication of a COVID infection at some point,” spokesperson Nicole Tiggemann said. How many people with long COVID are among the more than 1 million disability claims awaiting processing by Social Security is unknown."(4) How many people is that today?
The U.S. Census Bureau posted an update on their Household Pulse Survey for Aug 26 -Sept 4th, 2023.(5) The website shows the "Percentage of adults who previously had COVID-19, with symptoms lasting 3 months or longer" They found that approximately 28% of U.S. Adults reported symptoms lasting 3 months or longer. In ID, NM,& MS it is at >34%! 15 U.S. States with >30% of people reporting Long COVID symptoms! That's 35 million people, excluding children. Roughly 1 in 10 adults.
This has a huge impact on education, work productivity, families & individuals finances, and the whole economy. If a fraction of that number applied for disability insurance or Social Security Disability and had the proof required, then becomes a huge burden on the government and big insurance companies. Much, much higher than the $600,000 million being spent to produce approximately 200 million tests. (6)
According to the Social Security Administration website, they show that as of 2003, that each disabled worker cost them approximately $11,000.00. Let's use that number, acknowledging that it is likely quite a bit lower than it is today. If we imagine that just 10% of the 35 million people reported in the household pulse survey applied for Social Security disability benefits in the next 6 months, that would be 3.5 million people. If we multiply the $11,000 by 3.5 million people, then the cost is $38.5 billion. Lets say that only 1% apply for disability, then that still adds up to $3.15 billion.
Based on these numbers, we can see that there is a huge motive for the government to desire a loophole in limiting the number of claims. They undoubtedly know the numbers. It is highly unlikely that they don't realize these tests reduce their liability. It is also quite likely that they figured out that the people in lower income situations are more likely to utilize the free tests without understanding what they are giving up by using them and not getting a test through their doctors office. This will disproportionately impact people without health insurance since they are much less likely to schedule a doctors appointment and pay for a PCR test. They also know that because Long COVID often takes months to become such a burden that people can’t work, many people won’t connect the dots themselves.
Let’s look at this picture from the government and corporate perspective. They understand that most people don’t know about waiting 4 to 5 days from symptom onset. They likely figured out that a large number of people will use the tests on the 2nd or 3rd day without retesting. More often than not, that will produce a negative result and since symptoms are mild in a large number of working age people then the negative test sends them back to work or school. That alone is a huge win. If it is positive, the unscientific guidance says, go back after just 5 days which is another win if you don’t care about peoples health and the onward transmission. Lastly, if someone has a positive rapid test it calms them down because now they know what it is, instead of worrying because they don’t know what it is. As long as the symptoms don’t get worse, the vast majority of people won’t go to the doctor for another test to confirm it. From the government or corporate perspective, this reduces their liability in terms of the money they would otherwise pay out in insurance claims.
They very likely also understand that a certain percentage of the hundreds of thousands of infections everyday will be mild at first, but turn into long-term disabling conditions. A study from January 2023 titled, “Long-Term Symptoms after Mild Coronavirus Disease in Healthy Healthcare Professionals”, concluded by saying, “This study revealed a high prevalence of persistent symptoms of COVID-19 in healthy individuals.” Despite knowing this, we haven’t upgraded infection control standards in hospitals to mitigate COVID transmission. Not only are we putting patients lives at risk, we are putting the lives of those that care for the patients at risk.
To make matters worse, the CDC, aka the Centers for Disease Transmission, is looking to update infection control standards in hospitals. The Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC) is the body that advises the CDC on infection control in healthcare. Unbelievably, HICPAC is currently discussing drafts that weaken infection control policies.
Read more and sign onto a letter from the WHN that focuses on the prevention of airborne transmission here. The deadline for signatures on this letter was extended until October 13, 2023.
When we look at it from a business or monetary perspective, then we could see that a $600 million investment in tests, at the beginning of every anticipated surge, is actually saving many billions of dollars for the government and big insurance companies. Not only does it save money by preventing insurance claims, the tests and the CDC guidance help keep parent workers from staying home with their kids and puts them back to work. Millions of people are forced to work when they are sick because they don’t have the sick days to cover the time they actually should be taking off. It is sickening to think that they would make decisions like this but lets face it, this is how it has been done for decades.
In the United States, where the government should be by the people and for the people, the influence of billionaires through SuperPACs, charities, and undisclosed funding sources has shifted the balance of control. These massive donations create an obligation for politicians, who rely on this funding to sustain their campaigns and, subsequently, their political careers. This dynamic allows politicians to cater to the wishes of billionaires for extended periods, making the billionaires' investments in politics even more valuable.
The free tests and likely reasons for providing them is just one, of many examples of how the privatization of healthcare and insurance has incentivized the degradation of societies health. When we ask the question, are the tests actually free, hopefully it is clearer to see that these tests come at a huge societal cost. Long-COVID sufferers and those who will join their ranks in the future bear the brunt of this cost. This puts immense strain on society, except for those at the very top who continue to pull the strings. We know they take mitigating transmission seriously for themselves and their children.
Despite substantial scientific evidence supporting the importance of mitigating airborne transmission and the effectiveness of related tools, public health often neglects this aspect. Why? The answer becomes evident when we consider that politicians control public health, and these politicians are heavily influenced by large donations from wealthy business owners and corporations.
This situation raises critical questions about the integrity of our democratic system and the impact of money in politics.
In the 2022 State of the Union Address, President Biden declared, "Third – we can end the shutdown of schools and businesses. We have the tools we need."
But where are these tools? Instead of equipping ourselves to combat the pandemic effectively, it seems that we've done quite the opposite. Monitoring efforts have been terminated, mask mandates lifted, and HVAC units left unimproved. Most schools appear to operate as if there is no cause for concern, often neglecting to inform parents when someone in a classroom is infected. The irony is that we take more precautions for lice than we do for COVID.
Critical infrastructure upgrades, particularly in the form of HVAC systems, have been neglected in schools and other essential spaces. The protections that were once in place to safeguard the most vulnerable in society have been dismantled. There is a notable lack of effort to protect children, pregnant women, immunocompromised individuals, or older adults.
Furthermore, the available treatments appear to be struggling against the evolving virus, and a vaccine capable of halting infections, transmission, or long-term multi-organ infection and persistence remains elusive. This situation has left millions unemployed due to Long COVID, and the numbers continue to rise at an alarming rate. COVID has become increasingly adept at suppressing the immune system and infecting organs, intensifying the crisis.
If the government were transparent, sharing this vital information and providing the resources to mitigate transmission, the free tests could be viewed as a positive response to the pandemic. However, history shows that the words aren’t matching the actions and the lack of clarity leaves room for serious skepticism and deep concerns of deception.
Reference links with important quotes highlighted:
1-“This study showed that the sensitivity of the omicron variant saliva samples was higher than that of the wild-type nasopharyngeal and sputum samples. Moreover, neither vaccinated nor nonvaccinated patients who were infected with the omicron variant showed any significant differences in SARS-CoV-2 viral loads.”
2-“Defining infectiousness based on assessment of only one specimen type likely underestimates the full infectious period, particularly if only nasal swabs (which typically exhibit infectious viral loads days after oral specimen types) are used. Relatedly, policies guiding isolation time that are based on estimates of the infectious period from a single-specimen type may result in premature release of infectious individuals from isolation.”
2-“nasal swab was the poorest specimen type for detection in the first 4 days of infection. In most participants, we observed a delay in nasal-swab viral loads relative to oral specimens similar to what has been observed previously (14, 22, 80)”
3- “We collected exhaled breath specimens from COVID-19 patients and used RTq-PCR to show that numbers of exhaled SARS-CoV-2 RNA copies during COVID-19 infection do not decrease significantly until day 8 from symptom-onset. COVID-19-positive participants exhaled an average of 80 SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA copies per minute during the first 8 days of infection, with significant variability both between and within individuals, including spikes over 800 copies a minute in some patients. After day 8, there was a steep drop to levels nearing the limit of detection, persisting for up to 20 days.”
Universal Health Coverage Agreement
At the United Nations on Sept 21st, “World leaders commit to redouble efforts towards universal health coverage by 2030”
The document the world leaders came up with is titled, “Universal Health coverage: expanding our ambition for health and well-being in a post-COVID world” This is certainly a worthy goal. The first line in the document is how it should be.
“Reaffirm the right of every human being, without distinction of any kind, to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health;”
Was President Biden one of the world leaders signing onto this declaration? Considering the scope and magnitude of healthcare costs increasing in the years ahead with the continued ignorance of COVID and airborne transmission, and the vast amount of money big pharma and insurance companies donate to political campaigns, it is doubtful this will be on the agenda in the next four years unless people vote someone in that will fight for universal health coverage.
Long COVID Poll
We're conducting a poll to gauge the impact of Long-Covid within our community. The same question was asked by a pollster with a different audience. We'd like to see if our results differ. Please take a moment to share your perspective:
By implementing the level of mitigation protections that significantly limit the transmission of COVID-19 and other respiratory spread pathogens we could have a direct impact on the number of people hospitalized, the number of people that will suffer with Long-COVID and the number of people that will die. This is predictable. This is preventable
Preventing infections remains the most potent solution to protect personal health, the economy, and to ensure a bright and healthy future for the next generation.
We must work Together Against COVID Transmission.
Often people don’t tell you they have Covid, maybe because they don’t believe it themselves...