Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 27 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing
OpEdNews Op Eds    H2'ed 12/2/21

Scarce Cheap COVID Home Testing: Quick Government Action Needed

By       (Page 1 of 2 pages)   2 comments
Message Joel Hirschhorn
Become a Fan
  (20 fans)

To better reduce COVID transmission the US must learn from Europe. Americans need cheap or free home COVID antigen testing kits. They give a result in 15 minutes and typically identify 98 percent of infectious cases, according to medical experts. Getting many millions of home tests to Americans is the most important action the government can do.

Have worrisome symptoms or contact with someone who has tested positive? You can quickly and reliably discover whether you have a COVID infection. Vaccinated or not, you can take actions to curb viral transmission to others or, if appropriate, seek medical help. Home tests address COVID surges and concerns about new variants by helping people with mild symptoms and a positive test use telemedicine to get advice and avoid overwhelmed hospitals.

Frequent home tests can give you a normal life. They should be as handy as a thermometer. Reduce the ordeal of getting a lab test scheduled and waiting days for the result. Easy test access fits with medical freedom and personalized medicine principles. Curtailing virus transmission beats disruptive actions by government, including quarantines, lockdowns, school closings and use of vaccine credentials.

Europe doing better

Europe's smarter approach has resulted in 39 rapid self-administered antigen tests being authorized by the European Union and over 100 in all of Europe. The US has authorized just 12 and only nine of which are available without a prescription. No prescription should be needed.

In Britain, people can get free rapid tests delivered to their homes on demand. Pharmacies offer free packs of seven tests that people can take at home.

In France, Germany and Belgium at-home tests are ubiquitous and as cheap as a cup of coffee. Sustained public funding has come from European governments to allow companies to produce huge supplies.

The U.K. allocated $50 billion over two years to set up a national test and trace program that delivers rapid tests to anyone upon request. It hasn't worked perfectly but the US is far behind.

American shortcomings

Ideally, home test results should qualify people to engage in activities where onerous vaccine mandates or lab PCR tests are being used. Tests that provide some documentation of a negative result are needed.

The government has spent many billions of dollars on vaccines and now new pills from Merck and Pfizer. They have spent too little on home testing. Why?

Regular PCR tests give the government data on positive cases. These maintain fear and acceptance of COVID vaccines, despite known high levels of false positive results.

Both the Trump and Biden administrations bet everything on vaccines ending the pandemic. Wrong gamble. Time to give power to American households by getting tests into home medicine cabinets.

Fauci has not used his considerable power to get FDA and CDC to approve many home tests and getting free ones to US households.

Consensus comments by medical experts

Contrasting vaccines and home testing, "It feels like in one place we're in a rocket ship and in another place we're on training wheels," said Rep. Kim Schrier, D-Wash., who is a former pediatrician. He has pushed the FDA to authorize more tests.

Next Page  1  |  2

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).

Rate It | View Ratings

Joel Hirschhorn Social Media Pages: Facebook page url on login Profile not filled in       Twitter page url on login Profile not filled in       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

Joel S. Hirschhorn is the author of Pandemic Blunder: Fauci and Public Health Blocked Early Home COVID Treatment, Delusional Democracy - Fixing the Republic Without Overthrowing the Government and several other books, as well as hundreds of (more...)
 

Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Writers Guidelines

 
Contact AuthorContact Author Contact EditorContact Editor Author PageView Authors' Articles
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter
Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

Americans Unready to Revolt, Despite Revolting Conditions

9/11 Truth Manifesto

Entering a Hospital and On Medicare? The One Question You Must Always Ask

Tea Party Terrorists

The Most Powerful People in America

Fight Economic Oppression, Target the Top One Percent

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend