Buying antigen tests

iguana

I want to start doing a regular antigen test as an extra safety measure. My son is in primary school and I do indoor exercise, gym/classes/etc. So I figure it wouldn't hurt to start doing a test regularly just in case it catches an asymptomatic infection.

But there isn't really any information about the best way to do that. I don't really have a huge amount of money to waste. So want to find the best value tests. But also don't want to buy junk tests because they are cheap.

walshtipp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058216310/buying-antigen-tests

I have bought these ones before: https://covid.mybio.ie/product/covid-selftest/

At €6 they are probably not the cheapest around, but they are manufactured in the EU by a reputable company, so you can trust them.

TheMilkyPirate

They're not very accurate at all. My partner took 4 - all negative before a positive PCR. Her brother tested positive and decided to do two of the ones that the HSE sent him just to see. Both negative.

Valhallapt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118118852#Comment_118118852

Your partner clearly used them incorrectly if they got 4 negative readings. They are very accurate, even low end ones will identify over 85% of positive cases.

my son had mild symptoms, i was unsure if I should send him to school or not, I did a antigen test it showed positive and was subsequently confirmed by pcr.

Ireland is an outlier when it comes to antigen, all other countries use them because they work and work well.

fun loving criminal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118128436#Comment_118128436

What antigen test did you use?

Valhallapt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118130006#Comment_118130006

Two different brands from the pharmacy. Can’t remember their names. One was €7.30 and one €6.00.

hollypink

..

Lumen

Got a load in Tesco this morning for around €4.50 each. That was the third place I tried: Lidl and Circle K were both out of stock.

https://www.tesco.ie/groceries/Product/Details/?id=310650453

Squiggle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118118852#Comment_118118852

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118128436#Comment_118128436

PCR and Antigen do different things.

Antigen tests detect Infectious people by detecting material from the surface proteins of the virus and are extremely accurate when an individual is actually infectious.

PCRs detect genetic material of the virus which can be present in the body for weeks after someone is capable of passing it on.

You can be PCR positive and non infectious thus given a negative Antigen test.

PCRs will have kept many perfectly healthy, non infectious people at home in isolation !

theguzman

Aldi have them for €4 now, I paid €7.99 for the exact same make and model as the Aldi one in my local pharmacy on Monday, only discovered the Aldi ones by happenchance today.

Valhallapt

Nphet have finally relented to science and now back antigen testing, but in the two years fighting science they have severely undermined public trust in them. Philip Nolan should should hang his head in shame.

it’s now looking like Ireland is going to follow the rest of the eu and subsidise antigen testing, by offering discounted tests at pharmacies.

fun loving criminal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118158242#Comment_118158242

Almost as fast as the recommendation for masks.

Donald Trump

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118158242#Comment_118158242

Antigen testing has a place now because most people are vaccinated (and symptom-less) and more people are out interacting.

Previously they didn't want people to do antigen tests because, from a macro point of view - it was irrelevant. You were supposed to go for a PCR test if you had symptoms due to it being more accurate. If you were a responsible adult, then if you had an antigen test you would isolate anyway until the PCR result. If you were irresponsible, you could make a bollox of the test, get a false negative reading and head out spreading it through a largely unvaccinated population. So there was no positive outcome from using antigen. Whereas now, the antigen tests can be used to quickly test large numbers of people who don't even have symptoms.

fits

Had a faint second line here this morning. Any reports of false positives in the antigen tests? ?

fun loving criminal

Since yesterday's news about antigen tests, did prices fall today in chemists and shops? Pack of 5 in the chemist for 30euro. But don't know should I wait and see if they get cheaper.

fits

It’s handier to have them than want them !

DebDynamite

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118160004#Comment_118160004

No, the snake oil comment from Nolan came in response to a Lidl tweet saying come and get your supplies for your barbecue, and if you’re going to be socialising outdoors, pick up an antigen test to test yourself for extra piece of mind. All very responsible. They never once suggested it was to be used for symptomatic people in the place of a PCR test.

Now NPHET are suggesting if you’re going to be socialising, do regular antigen tests so as not to be spreading the virus asymptomatically... exactly what the Lidl tweet suggested and Nolan flipped the lid over it!! There is absolutely no condoning what he said now in light of the new antigen testing advice from NPHET.

Donald Trump

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118165022#Comment_118165022

I think you may not know what the idiom "snake oil" means

DebDynamite

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118165237#Comment_118165237

I know exactly what it means, thanks. And it was completely irresponsible of Philip Nolan to use it in that context. In fact, his comments were so bizarre, I’d question if he knows what it means.

fits

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118165259#Comment_118165259

Seriously it was months ago. Let it go.

DebDynamite

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118165266#Comment_118165266

I’m not the one who brought it up. Philip Nolan should explain though what has changed since he made his comment.

Valhallapt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118165266#Comment_118165266

Nolan undermined testing. He’s been proven wrong, his actions led to a unnecessarily prolonged lockdown. But sure yea, Nphet are a great bunch of lads, we should just forget the fact that they put Ireland on a course of action counter to every other developed nation and counter to WHO recommendations.

fits

People are allowed to have their opinions evolve over time. Seriously I’m fed up of the sh1t I’m reading on here day in day out. Bunch of cranks.

teacosy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118161095#Comment_118161095

Pack of 5 in Aldi for 20 euro yesterday

CutieD

Why are antigen tests so expensive? Are they not similar to pregnancy tests? So it's not new technologies in these home tests. A quick Google leads me to an online shop where you can buy 15 pregnancy test strips for 8 euro.

I'm not paying 20 or 30 euro for antigen tests where you might have to use them every week during the winter.

celt262

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118165259#Comment_118165259

People need to move on from what Nolan said no need to talk about it every few posts!

DebDynamite

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118165624#Comment_118165624

I was correcting Donald Trump’s incorrect version of events above.

Get Real

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118165560#Comment_118165560

At home pregnancy tests have been in use for the last 45 years.

An at home covid antigen test, 1 year.

I expect prices will fall over time, as companies increase scale, efficiency and innovation.

But to come up with something Joe Soap can use at home, to detect an illness that didn't exist a year prior, 4quid ain't bad imo.

Donald Trump

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118165259#Comment_118165259

Well his tweet needs to be taken in the context of both the time he said it, and what he was referring to. At the time there were still a lot of restrictions and the tone of the ad for the supermarket was kind of "sure get this test and then you can go and do what you like and congregate as much as you like- oh, and btw we have loads of barbeque stuff for sale wink wink". So that was the context of his comment - that it wasn't a magic solution that you could buy this thing and then go and ignore all other advice and be back to normal

antigen definitely does have a place now - for testing people without symptoms to detect possible asymptomatic carriers.

Chris_5339762

€6.95 per test in Applegreen. Ridiculous gouging.

Free in the UK and you can order a box of seven EVERY DAY from the NHS for free.

LapsypaCork

My sis in law lives in London, she just calls a special phone line and gets a pack of 5 posted which arrive the following day, FREE. You can call whenever you need them. I pay my taxes, worked throughout COVID and get no break ever from my tax so I won’t be paying for them out of my own pocket. If they want them to be used, they should be free, that could be one of the reasons their hesitant on suggesting everyone should use them.