Rapid Antigen Tests
An article in The Philadelphia Inquirer
Last week I participated in an interview with a reporter from The Philadelphia Inquirer for a story about rapid antigen testing. Overall I think it is a great article, and answers a lot of questions people have about how to use testing at home. We spoke on the phone for about 40 minutes during the time I have on Wednesdays in between morning and afternoon office hours. Sarah Gantz, the reporter, expertly summarizes the topic of testing, and draws from additional interviews of two other physicians… and quoted me three times. I think it was front page. Fun!
I would say, however, that the long form letters I have been writing here afford me a greater chance to present “my takes” in detail, and that the simple quotes used in this Inquirer article are just bits of the larger conversation we had.
It should be emphasized that rapid antigen testing can be quite valuable as another layer of protection and mitigation, especially when coronavirus rates are as high as they have been since Christmas. The quote about swabbing the back of the throat causing a gag reflex is accurate, although I think if this technique is officially recommended, most people could handle the discomfort. And finally, I have no illusions that rapid antigen testing is a magic bullet to solve all of our crippling problems - but it does give us another valuable tool as we navigate through choppy waters, and especially through tsunamis like Omicron.
I’d like to thank The Philadelphia Inquirer for the opportunity, and reporter Sarah Gantz for her excellent questions and synthesis of information, and for the public service that local newspapers provide in keeping us informed about so many things. I subscribe to The Philadelphia Inquirer, and support journalism and writers with multiple other subscriptions. If we get all our information from social media, and pay nothing to support the actual journalism ecosystem, then we become part of the misinformation problem. Please continue to support local newspapers, and pay for content that is worthy, or else we will have nothing left but regurgitated associated press headlines, and social media chaos.
And get your free tests if you need some!
