Harry reviews covid self-tests
Dec. 19th, 2021 06:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sniffnoySo, here in New York at least, there are three brands of covid self-tests I've seen for sale: IntelliSwab, QuickVue, and BinaxNow. How do they compare?
Well, so, first off, I should note that around here they all cost exactly the same, so price isn't going to be a factor. I also have no idea how to assess their relative accuracies, so (having no information to the contrary) I'm just going to assume that they're all about the same there.
So, basically all I can really compare is the experience of using them. How do they stack up there? In the order that I tried them:
IntelliSwab: This is the slowest of the tests, taking half an hour to resolve. However, it's the simplest procedurewise due to combining the swab and the test strip; you just stand up the tube, swab your nose, and put the device in the tube. OK, I'm leaving out some minor points like "be sure to stir the tube with the swab", but, I mean, this isn't the instruction manual. Anyway, simple, convenient, but slower than the others. Annoyingly though you can't twist the top off of the tube, but instead have to do this more difficult motion which is likely to result in some of the liquid spilling.
QuickVue: The fastest, at 10 minutes. This one doesn't combine the swab with the test strip, so the procedure has more steps -- swab your nose, put in tube, wait for a minute, take it out, then put in the test strip and wait for 10 minutes. (Again, this is not a complete description.) Although, while the increased number of steps is less convenient (and potentially more error-prone), at least with this one you can twist the top off the tube. One note: This one doesn't come with a separate tube stand, but has the tube stand be part of the box insert, so, it'll take up a fair bit of space while it's resolving.
BinaxNow: While not as fast as QuickVue, this one is still pretty fast, at 15 minutes. The procedure for this one though is the most complex and unintuitive, and the one I'd most be worried about messing up. I guess it's fine perhaps if you already know it? Rather than a tube of liquid you leave the test strip in, there's a dropper of the liquid and this sort of card thingy that... you know what, I'm not going to try to describe it in text. Anyway, it's not that complicated, but it's definitely the one I'd most be worried about messing up. (You're supposed to use 6 drops of the liquid -- how much is a "drop", exactly?) I guess it has the advantage that once the test is resolving, there's not a tube of liquid sitting on the table for someone to knock over? And it potentially takes up less space while resolving due to the use of the cards rather than tube stands?
So, overall: I think my preference for individual usage is IntelliSwab for its simple procedure. If you need to test a large number of people in a short amount of time, you might prefer QuickVue for speed, assuming you've got the space and aren't too worried a potential increase in the error rate (although having those twist-tops on the tubes maybe reduces the error rate?). I'd disrecommend using BinaxNow unless, like, you're really worried about kids or cats knocking things over, or something like that.
-Harry
Well, so, first off, I should note that around here they all cost exactly the same, so price isn't going to be a factor. I also have no idea how to assess their relative accuracies, so (having no information to the contrary) I'm just going to assume that they're all about the same there.
So, basically all I can really compare is the experience of using them. How do they stack up there? In the order that I tried them:
IntelliSwab: This is the slowest of the tests, taking half an hour to resolve. However, it's the simplest procedurewise due to combining the swab and the test strip; you just stand up the tube, swab your nose, and put the device in the tube. OK, I'm leaving out some minor points like "be sure to stir the tube with the swab", but, I mean, this isn't the instruction manual. Anyway, simple, convenient, but slower than the others. Annoyingly though you can't twist the top off of the tube, but instead have to do this more difficult motion which is likely to result in some of the liquid spilling.
QuickVue: The fastest, at 10 minutes. This one doesn't combine the swab with the test strip, so the procedure has more steps -- swab your nose, put in tube, wait for a minute, take it out, then put in the test strip and wait for 10 minutes. (Again, this is not a complete description.) Although, while the increased number of steps is less convenient (and potentially more error-prone), at least with this one you can twist the top off the tube. One note: This one doesn't come with a separate tube stand, but has the tube stand be part of the box insert, so, it'll take up a fair bit of space while it's resolving.
BinaxNow: While not as fast as QuickVue, this one is still pretty fast, at 15 minutes. The procedure for this one though is the most complex and unintuitive, and the one I'd most be worried about messing up. I guess it's fine perhaps if you already know it? Rather than a tube of liquid you leave the test strip in, there's a dropper of the liquid and this sort of card thingy that... you know what, I'm not going to try to describe it in text. Anyway, it's not that complicated, but it's definitely the one I'd most be worried about messing up. (You're supposed to use 6 drops of the liquid -- how much is a "drop", exactly?) I guess it has the advantage that once the test is resolving, there's not a tube of liquid sitting on the table for someone to knock over? And it potentially takes up less space while resolving due to the use of the cards rather than tube stands?
So, overall: I think my preference for individual usage is IntelliSwab for its simple procedure. If you need to test a large number of people in a short amount of time, you might prefer QuickVue for speed, assuming you've got the space and aren't too worried a potential increase in the error rate (although having those twist-tops on the tubes maybe reduces the error rate?). I'd disrecommend using BinaxNow unless, like, you're really worried about kids or cats knocking things over, or something like that.
-Harry
