Why Getting a COVID-19 Test Isn’t
Enough for a Safe Holiday Gathering .
With the holiday season upon us,
friends and family worldwide are figuring
out how to safely see each other. .
In order to meet in person, guests will
likely turn to COVID-19 tests to determine
whether they are “clear” to gather. .
Unfortunately, experts agree that
relying on testing is not a safe
plan for holiday celebrations. .
COVID-19’s incubation period, the amount
of time it takes for a person to become infectious,
can potentially last for up to 14 days.
This means that a person could test
negative for COVID-19 simply because they
haven’t begun “shedding” the virus yet.
The chance of someone having an
asymptomatic or mild case with
a low viral load of COVID-19 can
also complicate holiday plans. .
Doctors believe low viral loads
are harder for tests to detect.
This means that someone could have
no symptoms and test negative
for COVID-19, but still be infectious.
Rapid antigen tests, which
people are more likely to use because of their speed
and low cost, are not always accurate. .
The reported rate of false
negative results for antigen tests
is as high as 50 percent. .
PCR tests are estimated to
produce false negative rates between
2 percent and 37 percent