At-home COVID-19 tests in high demand for events, travel, school requirements

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Demand for COVID-19 at home testing is growing in northeast Ohio as more venues and events require a negative COVID-19 test or proof of vaccination for approval.

The increased demand has raised concerns about possible shortages in home rapid tests, said Dr. Christine Schmotzer, deputy chairwoman for systems pathology operations at the university clinics.

Tests sell out online and in pharmacies across the country. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in September that the temporary lack of rapid tests could lead to higher demand for laboratory-based tests.

Schmotzer said medical experts are not concerned about testing the availability of people with COVID-19 symptoms and using them for medical exams or medical procedures in a hospital.

“What has led to this stress on the system is an increased number of places where either a vaccination or a negative test is required in order to go to an event or for a trip,” said Schmotzer. “So this is the group that is possibly a little more at risk due to the potentially limited availability of the rapid tests.”

Most home tests are antigen tests and not as accurate when compared to the PCR tests. Schmotzer said the antigen tests require a higher viral load to determine if someone is positive. She found that an antigen test is most reliable when people are showing symptoms of COVID-19. However, a PCR test can show a positive result with a lower viral load.

Schmotzer emphasized in a previous story with cleveland.com the importance of getting a good nasal swab and following the instructions on the test kit. Also, it’s best to test 3 to 7 days after exposure to COVID or within the first few days after symptoms appear for the best accuracy.

The Delta variant swept the country in late summer, causing increased hospital admissions and deaths. And although the data shows the number of cases is falling, Ohio still receives thousands of cases every day.

In addition to pharmacies, people can also pick up tests for free at the Cuyahoga County Public Library branches and Cleveland Public Library – as long as they are in stock.

The Ohio Department of Health has made free BinaxNow tests available at home to libraries, local health departments, schools and universities, and other community partners, Ohio Department of Health spokeswoman Alicia Shoults wrote in an email.

Shoults said the state originally purchased 2 million tests and last week the board of controls approved the purchase of an additional 1 million tests with the option to buy 400,000 home tests a month through June 2022.

Tests have blown off shelves in libraries, and it’s important people call ahead to make sure tests are available, said Rob Rua, a spokesman for the Cuyahoga County Public Library. Rua said 11 branches of the library system are distributing the tests at home through their drive-through windows, which are normally used for book service, and the goal is to soon implement a roadside service for branches that do not have drive-through Have windows.

He said some people needed multiple kits because they may have multiple children and parents may need to be tested as well due to possible exposure. Rua said the library system had distributed nearly 26,000 tests at home by Wednesday.

Rua said initial demand was calm. “And then in the last month or so it was just huge.”

Rua said the library would initially receive 2,000 tests at home from the Ohio Department of Health in the spring, but this week the library received 16,000 tests.

The Cleveland Public Library is seeing similarly high demand as people come downtown to pick up tests at the main library’s drive-through window, said Steve Wohl, the library system’s lending manager.

Before the increase in the delta variant, the library distributed 25-50 tests per week, according to Wohl. But in the week of August 23rd, the library saw a surge and handed out about 200 tests. Wohl said the number of tests offered “grew exponentially from then on”.

He said the demand had come from parents and students in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, as well as from people attending weddings, concerts, and sporting events.

The home tests are increasingly needed, especially for people who need a result relatively quickly. President Joe Biden’s administration invoked the Defense Production Act in September to provide 280 million rapid tests, according to Kaiser Health News.

The government has also signed contracts with Walmart, Amazon and Kroger to allow retailers to sell for three months of testing for “up to 35 percent less” than current prices. People on Medicaid would fully cover the tests at home, Biden said.

BinaxNow at-home tests can be purchased at pharmacies like CVS or Walgreens for $ 23.99. Still, tests like Ellume remain relatively expensive, especially for families who would likely need multiple tests. Ellume’s test kit is $ 38.99, so a non-Medicaid family of four would pay about $ 156.

However, other testing options are still available, including at pharmacies such as CVS.

Akron Children’s Hospital announced in a press release Wednesday that it will begin drive-through testing for children on its Akron campus, whether they are patients or showing symptoms. Young adults up to the age of 26 who are still in the care of Akron Children’s Hospital can also receive a test, according to the communication. Appointments are required and can be made via MyChart.

Mercy Health’s Lorain subsidiary said in a press release Tuesday that it has walk-in clinics in six locations for people seeking a COVID-19 test. The clinics are open seven days a week, and the providers at the sites also offer “face-to-face and virtual visits to safely examine, isolate and care for patients who may have mild symptoms,” according to the statement.

The Shaker Heights Fire Department, in partnership with MetroHealth, also conducted COVID-19 tests during the pandemic. Hospital nurses come weekly to the fire station on Chagrin Boulevard to perform PCR tests in the drive-through clinic. Appointments are required and can be made through MetroHealth.

Sweeney said there has been no shortage of testing in the fire department lately, and he said there are other places to go too if people look closely enough.

“I think if someone is resourceful enough and willing to look around a bit, you can find things,” Sweeney said. “I know there has been some media coverage and talk about tests being hard to find right now, but I think if you do a little research you can take care of things. That was my last experience with people fetching things from the library, people making appointments with CVS. “

source https://www.bisayanews.com/2021/10/02/at-home-covid-19-tests-in-high-demand-for-events-travel-school-requirements/