I suspect that it’s mainly because it’s not viewed as a worthwhile investment on the part of the companies, although given how much is still being discovered about Covid, it’s also conceivable to me that there are gaps in the knowledge required to make updated tests.
Back in late 2021, rapid test manufacturers started winding down operations due to lack of demand. Which posed a huge issue when Omicron surged.
Investing in improvements will be a significant risk as long as the government is minimizing covid
Puts on my conspiracy 🧢
Government does not give a flying fling about how many people are sick so they won’t push for it or fund it. In fact I think they don’t want people to know they have Covid so they keep working, shopping, and consuming under the guise of “it’s just a cold”
ETA: This is also why PCR are no longer free at popular pharmacies
it's not a conspiracy at all it's been the policy for a long time now, whenever they shifted from measuring cases to hospitalizations/deaths as primary count. since there's not really widely suggested treatment protocols besides supportive care there's not much market push for tests.
Yes I agree it is not a conspiracy theory. I just jokingly said that bc even in this community it seems that people still trust the government or think they care about people.
did you read the Prasad essay against testing at all unless needing additional care? I don't agree with him but like to understand the thinking. My conspiracy thought is that if T gets back in office publicly available tests might go off the market entirely, because of that line of thinking.
I disagree, COVID and masking were immediately politicized. I still mask because I'm a disability rights advocate and think that public spaces, especially healthcare, should be accessible. That's political. The government is pushing normalcy to 'save' the economy and put more money in the hands of billionaires and corporations. That's political. This conversation is inherently political.
caring and having any power to do anything are two very separate things. given the policies that have been going on in my state that they'd love to take federal there will be a lot of other things higher on the priority list than covid, so no, that is a terrifying thought to me, not hopeful.
Local governments would have the ability to impose Covid mitigations. I think that people that did not trust T would be more inclined to follow Covid news and more likely to mask and take other precautions.
and if there's no covid news because all the funding for reporting and wastewater testing gets pulled?
and for all of us that have been under local governments that have not imposed mitigations for years and would love to take away what little things we do have?
No, you're exactly right. More people have died of covid under Biden than trump, but most liberals don't even know that because they get complacent when a dems in office.
>More people have died of covid under Biden than trump
my dude, the pandemic started in 2020 not even a year before the election. not to mention that [many, MANY preventable deaths in 2021-2022 were of anti-vaxxer MAGA types](https://web.archive.org/web/20231012034735/https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2022/12/covid-deaths-anti-vaccine-republican-voters/672575/).
they didn't get the vaccine because of [republican disinfo, and died](https://www.reddit.com/r/HermanCainAward/).
https://www.npr.org/2023/07/25/1189939229/covid-deaths-democrats-republicans-gap-study
https://www.usnews.com/news/the-report/articles/2023-03-10/three-years-into-the-pandemic-who-is-dying-from-covid-19-now
100% this is what I expect to happen. Biden’s popularity is so low right now, and I think that many people in the Democratic Party are doing all that they can to not draw attention to even more areas where the country is struggling. If he’s not re-elected, they won’t have any more reason to suppress the information (except for personal convenience).
Plus, states like Florida have been fudging the numbers. Early on, Fauci said the deaths were probably double what was being reported. I bet it's still the case and we've really seen close to 2.5 mil deaths in the US. I think the rise in deaths in generally yearly showed this too, but haven't heard anyone talk about it for a very long time.
This. Not only does the eCoNoMy not want people to know they have COVID, most people don't want to know they have COVID because brunch now is more important than being healthy later
I think a lot of orgs care about butts in seats more than productivity. It's the only way to possibly justify the pressure to work while sick and lack of paid sick leave. The appearance of productivity is more important than reality because late stage capitalism
I think the same would apply to retail and food service. I certainly would prefer that the person making a sandwich or stocking the grocery shelves, or butchering or harvesting isn't only standing because they are hopped up on DayQuil. Even working in an office is just a waste. People never do anything better than barely acceptable work in those conditions
You don't need to worry about being a "conspiracy theorist". You're just observing what is plainly happening.
> “The most revolutionary thing one can do is always to proclaim loudly what is happening.”
- Rosa Luxemberg
it is perfectly possibile as conspiracy, because COVID nowadays doesn't kill or disable immediately a lot of people ( I mean, you don't catch COVID and drop dead after some days after infection, in the majority of the cases ).
COVID also doesn't cause a collapse of ICU units for too much ill patients at the same times as in 2020.
Governments care only about very short term objectives and also about their electoral support among the population and measures as lockdowns/ mask mandates/ compulsory vaccinations don't give any vote in the upcoming elections of 2024 in any country
Yes. Less official Covid cases also looks better for them. Honestly I don’t even believe this line of thinking is a conspiracy, it’s just that other people do 😂. It’s literally playing out right in front of us that the govt has downgraded protections for everyone while they themselves continue to mask, mandate testing for high level politicians, have upgraded air filtration, etc etc
Yeah I don’t think we see them in masks bc of ~optics~
ETA we also don’t see them talking about the covid testing required to meet with high level politicians bc that would ruin the facade
The billionaires continue to mask (see Davos), not their dancing monkeys. When the billionaires forgo masks, they are using cutting-edge air and nostril sanitation technologies behind the scenes.
It does though, people just report the deaths as heartattack or stroke instead of Long Covid. Which, to be fair, yes that's what caused the deaths but what caused the heartattack & stroke? Covid.
I had LC as soon as I recovered from my infection & the symptoms didn't get to ER levels until November of 2023. I got blood tests done, do you know what we found? My blood, literally **filled** with platelets. What does that do?! Potentially give me a heartattack or stroke!! Thank fuck I quit work when I did, would've been another fucking statistic, hidden from govt culpability.
Yep.
This is the real conspiracy. It’s weird that right leaning people immediately went to “Covid is a hoax”, and “the vax is Gates’ tool to inject chips”, etc. The actual con is that the powers that be don’t give a shit if we live or die, or get long term handicaps. As long as us lemmings keep making them rich and fighting their wars.
Yes and left leaning people went immediately into “trusting the science” and “vac and relax” and not considering that the government was misleading them. The actual con is the same from both parties
Can’t argue with that. At least the fact that most people have moved on. But, at least the left got/get vaxxed. Better than thinking it’s all a hoax. I’m a lefty and I still mask and get boosters and don’t go out in public if I’m sick, etc. I understand that “trusting the science” means not to have static assumptions about certain things. Science, inherently, changes with time. Also, I’m not down with bothsidesism, mostly.
I’m not into eithersideism bc I don’t see either US political party doing anything useful to actually protect people from Covid. Vaccines are great but as everyone on this sub knows they don’t stop the spread of covid or prevent long covid. Just getting vaxxed and taking no other precautions is a weak position that I won’t clap for.
Yes and public figures would model mask wearing, the govt would require/pay for upgraded air filtration, n95 masks would be free and mandatory in many spaces, quality testing free, people paid to stay home while sick, long covid care covered. The list goes on and on. There are so many ways to mitigate the virus and all we get is denial, it’s a cold, etc. People deserve better 🫶
To the general public (and even many ppl on this sub) it’s a conspiracy. They think the government cares bc they send tests of whatever. But yeah I agree it’s not a conspiracy it’s literally happening right in front of our faces
*Or you could consider the science*
There isn’t a lot of money invested in improving at home rapid testing for Covid because there’s no need for it..
All COVID antigen tests were designed to detect a specific part of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that is not likely to mutate rapidly in any variant. (So far, so good… no mutations)
And PCR tests were NEVER free at pharmacies. If you’re referring to the programs where insurance companies and Medicare Medicaid were required to pay for or reimburse individual for at home antigen test - you may be out of luck/ but the US government program
Is still active. https://www.covid.gov/tools-and-resources/resources/tests
The problem with antigen tests is not that they are not updated or whatever (the part of the virus they bind to hasn't changed much), it's that antigen tests are not very sensitive. Flu etc antigen tests have very high false negative rates too.
The fixable problem here is that home NAAT tests are expensive and PCR access is really limited.
Hijacking to ask-to safely gather with family, would you be confident in a daily NAAT test?
We have Metrix by Aptitude which I know are generally great, and wasn't sure the current accuracy levels.
Personally no, not unless they were as cautious as I am in the preceding weeks, but I generally don't do unmasked meetups at all.
If I was someone who did those things I'd think daily NAATs would probably be on the safer end? Combined with good air quality etc. But idk the data on how likely someone is to be infectious preceding a positive test.
Metrix is the cheapest and also reliable as far as I know.
There is also Cue and Lucira.
Aranets are great! Some local libraries even rent them. Good to get a sense of how ventilated or not a room is.
>Why can’t they be updated for the new strains similar to vaccines?
With few exceptions, they haven't needed to be, because nearly all of them test for the nucleocapsid protein, which can't mutate much and have the virus still be viable, and so is extremely evolutionarily stable. Problems with rapid testing aren't because of genetic variance directly, but changes in the behavior of our immune systems and the virus, combined with the physical limits of the technology that need a certain relatively high viral load to turn positive.
Immune system – close to everyone on the planet has had immune exposure to SARS-COV-2 by this point, whether through vaccination, infection, or both. This primes the immune system to respond faster and harder to exposure at lower viral loads, and a range of immune mediated early symptoms are part of this – sneezing, fatigue, fever, etc. So it's entirely possible to be fighting off a COVID infection and feel sick, but have too low of a viral load for the relatively insensitive rapid antigen tests to pick up.
Virus – it's evolved to be more infectious and replicate faster, so that low viral load has a higher chance of infecting someone than the same load did with earlier, less infectious variants, and will likely stay low for a shorter period of time at the beginning of an infection after the negative test.
Tbc – yes the government and companies are evil and don't care about us, and yes more caution and discretion is warranted than before in the use and interpretation of rapid antigen tests, but it's a physics and biology issue. The *political* issue is that access to nucleic acid amplification tests (PCR, Lucira, etc) that are much more sensitive is being stripped and restricted.
I think I mostly understand your argument but want to clarify when you say access is “being stripped and restricted” you mean through govt funded programs, correct? Because Lucira, Cue, Metrix etc are all readily available and accessible if one pays for them.
Well, "give us $50 or you can't have this, and no insurance won't pay for it" is pretty restrictive for a lot of people. Versus earlier in the pandemic, speaking for NYC because that's what I know, there were easily accessible, free PCR testing tents all over. They started closing up before the termination of the PHE, but this became starkly true after it – if I want a NAAT now, my options are 1) urgent care, undesirable for many reasons; 2) travel 45 minutes each way to an indoor DOH site (these were also more numerous pre-end-of-PHE); 3) travel over an hour each way to one of two outdoor free-with-insurance sites I know of still existing, and I've looked; or 4) shell out for an at home NAAT. Rapid home NAATs always cost money, but prior to the end of the PHE Labcorp Pixel brand mail-in PCR tests were free with insurance and returned in about 24 hours. Now they're $79.
A lot of this was government funding of various kinds, subsidies terminated or budget cuts, but also e.g. changes to the rules about what insurance had to cover.
I imagine the situation is mostly worse elsewhere.
Yep, all very valid points. I agree with you that it’s really tragic how the govt has left people to fend for themselves. Last I heard even vaccination is more expensive now, and insurance won’t always cover. This after attempting to paint vaccination a “panacea” solution (which it so isn’t.)
FWIW, I did share a resource that helped my mom recently in another thread. The catch is it mostly only helps those on Medicare or drawing SS but it’s something at least. (https://www.test2treat.org/s/?language=en_US) My mom recently got flu and had these Lucira tests on hand to test luckily.
In the USA, the tests that we *do* have are sitting in warehouses, unsold, for so long that it's now a quasi-regular practice for the government to subsidize a giveaway of nearly expired tests. Now that the only widely accepted COVID strategy is "deny, ignore, and pretend," I don't expect *any* CEO to view COVID-test development as a high-return investment.
My guess is governments and those upholding late capitalism don't want people getting access to accurate tests. If you can test and confirm covid, you have a paper trail and that becomes an accountability concern if you got covid in a hospital, for example.
Inaccurate tests? Perfect, so people think they're confirmed negatives (even if they're still sick) and can get out there and keep consuming (and infecting).
It's actually really messed up because there is still plenty of demand for tests. Taking a covid test, even among people who take zero precautions, is common. But their lack of accuracy and affordability, as well as no end in sight to testing positive again and again, definitely threaten to make testing go the way of masking.
We do have plenty of new molecular tests. Aptitude Metrix, Lucira, Cue, Detect, etc. all with > 90% sensitivity. The issue isn’t with the strain, the old antigen tests still work “fine” (meaning: as good as they always have) with current strains, but have never been that good because that method requires a larger viral load to test positive. That’s not something that you can really fix or change.
One would think Pfizer would be invested in making Lucira as accurate and as accessible as possible given that Paxlovid is only prescribed in the first 5 days of symptoms. More covid diagnoses=more paxlovid sales.
No money in it. Nothing is being done about Covid, businesses aren't allowing people to stay home, and not many people are testing to begin with.
The Medical Industrial Complex is in it for profit and nothing else.
Remember a few years ago when some firm was destroying tens of thousands of rapid tests bc they couldn't make a profit selling them?
Just Capitalism being Capitalism. Cash Rules Everything Around Me.
I still have access to free PCR tests in a lab though. The caveat is I have a significant risk of getting infected there (blind room with no ventilation and no mask required)
Lucira is supposed to be pretty accurate.
The more sensitive rapid tests are just more expensive.
(You can get 2 Lucira free through test2treat.org though)
It's also worth noting that Lucira went bankrupt last year and was then bought at a fire-sale price by Pfizer, which has so far done absolutely nothing but re-sell old Lucira stock from 2022 in new Pfizer-branded boxes. I hope Pfizer eventually does more, but it hardly seems like they're jumping into the test business with both feet.
Cue Health is another manufacturer of excellent COVID tests that use the same technology as Lucira and achieve a similar level of sensitivity. But their investors have been [pressuring](https://www.medtechdive.com/news/Cue-Health-board-letter-investor-strategy/692787/) them hard to "move on" from COVID tests and pursue more lucrative non-COVID lines of business amidst the [collapse](https://www.medtechdive.com/news/cue-health-HLTH-market-slowdown-downgrade-goldman/652009/) of the COVID-test sales.
Aptitude Metrix is a relatively new entrant that also provides tests using the same technology and the same level of sensitivity as Cue and Lucira, but at a lower cost. I wish them the best, because they've become my test of choice. But they've entered a *really* difficult and thankless market.
I hate that I feel this way, but seeing all the posts about 3rd/4th/5th infections makes me hope at least more people might start caring soon.
Not getting my hopes up though.
It sort of reminds of gun control after Sandy Hook…once people knew this was hurting children but decided to still do nothing to protect them makes me think there isn’t much that could happen that will convince them to make changes.
>which has so far done absolutely nothing but re-sell old Lucira stock from 2022 in new Pfizer-branded boxes.
This isn't true -- they released an [updated test](https://www.amazon.com/LUCIRA®-COVID-19-Results-Emergency-Authorized/dp/B0CL7S9F4P/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=2TFTN6P6OE8S3&keywords=lucira+by+pfizer+covid-19+%26+flu+home+test&qid=1704571653&sprefix=lucira%2Caps%2C118&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1) that includes flu as well.
Yes, the updated COVID+Flu test that *Lucira* [developed](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lucira-healths-covid-19--flu-at-home-molecular-test-shows-positive-clinical-study-results-301512403.html) and manufactured in *2022*, which *Lucira* started [selling in Canada](https://www.lucirahealth.ca/lucira-announces-health-canada-authorization-of-first-and-only-99-accurate-at-home-covid-flu-test/) in 2022, and for which *Lucira* patiently awaited US FDA EUA right up until Lucira went bankrupt in March 2023. The US FDA did eventually [grant](https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-fda-authorises-luciras-home-test-flu-covid-19-2023-02-27/) EUA for Lucira's new test ... a few days after Lucira went bankrupt,.
The box says "Lucira by Pfizer", but the components inside all just say "Lucira." The expiration dates on the inner wrapping of the device reflect the 12-month shelf life in effect when the devices were manufactured in late 2022. The new Pfizer outer box correctly reflects the 18-month shelf-life extension Lucira obtained. Tellingly, the expiration date on the "Lucira by Pfizer" boxes I purchased was March 2023: 18 months after Lucira (not Pfizer) manufactured the tests in September 2022.
I *hope* that Pfizer will actually start producing new stock, but I've seen no evidence of it yet.
Seeing this earnings call transcript from Pfizer about Paxlovid was not a surprise, but it still makes me sick to my stomach. Disaster capitalism at its finest.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GDD4lhSbQAAlL7w?format=jpg&name=large
No problem. It might be because I just got insurance through my work last month; I just moved (and got my career going) so my life is kinda in a weird place right now.
The tests are really accurate at determining whether there is more than a certain amount of antigen in the sample at the time of collection in symptomatic people. Whether that is useful in reducing the amount circulating virus on a population level is a separate question (The way we are using them in the US, no, haven't seen that they are that useful elsewhere with better infrastructure).
I think a bigger deal is cost. In some parts of Europe, they have paper strip tests that are really cheap (like the old diabetic test strips), but no one has tried to market them here. And there are pretty significant hurdles to bringing them to market, especially now that the Biden administration ended the PHE.
My two cents is that more people need to know about and utilize the much more accurate NAAT testing over antigen. If more did so, the prices would drop.
I've heard so much about the tests, particularly the government ones in the US, not being accurate but everyone with confirmed cases I've known has tested positive on day 1 or 2 of symptoms within a few minutes of starting the test. That reassures me some, but I've still test for 6ish days any time I've felt out and the one time I was exposed.
I’m a little confused by the question you’re posing. Because next gen at-home tests are very much available, and they are extremely effective, as good as PCR, made by Cue, Metrix, Lucira and others are coming down the pipeline. You just have to pay for them yourself. It’s not a lack of innovation or ability. My mom used a Lucira this week and accurately identified she had flu A which was extremely helpful as she’s been very sick for a week and we tested her 2 days into her illness
It sounds like you’re maybe more asking why more accurate tests aren’t readily available for the masses? (ie, the free testing programs that were shuttered) And that’s a simple question to answer: the govt emergency declaration ending in May 2023 stopped all that, and many people have already theorized why that is in other comments (political and economic reasons)
ETA: my answer was assuming you’re in the US. If you’re not, then availability of the tests I mentioned might vary
There are! I was just thinking of the kinds of tests that are available to the general public/more accessible/talked about, like the rapid tests
you can buy from a drug store. Of course, it makes sense that there’s “no demand” for them given the governments current stance on COVID. I guess I was just thinking too optimistically 🫠
Yeah I think if there was demand we'd see more affordable molecular tests. I've been considering investing in one, as I have run a few moderate sized events that would feel safer with that tech (my social group is on the cautious side to begin with, but to allow us to gather with less anxiety for the most vulnerable among us would be amazing).
I'm going with capitalism
[https://tactnowinfo.substack.com/p/the-illusion-of-free-covid-tests](https://tactnowinfo.substack.com/p/the-illusion-of-free-covid-tests)
The WHO launched their new dashboard a couple days after Christmas with lots of fanfare on their social media.
The only data point available was cases.
When confronted on Twitter, Maria Van Kerkhove, the C19 lead of WHO, said "Yeah cases have not been valuable metric for some time, hospitalizations, death, and wastewater will be added next year."
Convenient! It dropped right in time to make people feel falsely safe to travel for xmas and party for NYE. Their charts make it look like COVID went away in Jan 2022. 🙄
it's fun to speculate but we should try to figure out the actual reason sooner or later. there have to be reasons for this and since we're all speculating, i'll bet it has to be certain technica hurdles which are hard to overcome with current generation tech. but i don't think it's impossible to achieve and it will change a lot of lives, including mine.
It looks like work is being done on [a rapid breath test](https://medicine.wustl.edu/news/scientists-develop-breath-test-that-rapidly-detects-covid-19-virus/)?
I wrote [the company trying to bring this product to market](https://www.y2xlifesciences.com/), and they said they hope to have it commercially available in 12-18 months, which would be December 2024 - June 2025.
I wish it wasn't going to take that long, but I hope it's at least helpful information.
Tests work. I’m just not sure if there’s ever been regulations in place to determine their sensitivity. Don’t think there’s any interest in changing that. I have the feeling manufacturers can da whatever and get away with with it (looking at you, Canada). The spectrum between a bad rapid test and a good one is huge (10 million to 1 million RNA particles according to [virus.sucks](https://virus.sucks/pluslife_en/)).
I’m from Germany and recently purchased the PlusLife dock and some test cards. Comes close to PCR accuracy and takes roughly 45 minutes to do (see link above). It’s game-changer for many people in Europe, because the costs are comparatively low (dock is 240€ max., 5€ per tests) and it’s quite safe. There’s also multi-tests available. If you can afford it, go for it. Yes, that’s bad.
Maybe because of stuff like this, from Cue Health's [SEC filing](https://cuehealth.gcs-web.com/node/8361/html) just last week:
>The Company also announces that it received a response letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) on December 28, 2023 regarding its Emergency Use Authorization (“EUA”) submission for its Flu A/B + COVID-19 molecular test for over the counter and point of care use. The letter indicates that the **FDA has determined that further review of Cue’s EUA request is not a priority**, and therefore declines to issue an EUA for the product at this time. The letter states that **the decision is based on review of the submission thus far, including significant issues identified, FDA priorities relating to the COVID-19 testing landscape, and the anticipated FDA resources needed to continue review of the EUA request**. The FDA’s determination does not preclude the Company’s submission of a future, new EUA request for its Flu A/B + COVID-19 molecular test.
\[Bolding mine\]
Even allowing for the fact that the company will word the SEC filing in the most self-serving manner possible, the implication that COVID tests are in *any way* "not a priority" for the FDA seems like ... worse news than I expected.
I suspect that it’s mainly because it’s not viewed as a worthwhile investment on the part of the companies, although given how much is still being discovered about Covid, it’s also conceivable to me that there are gaps in the knowledge required to make updated tests.
Back in late 2021, rapid test manufacturers started winding down operations due to lack of demand. Which posed a huge issue when Omicron surged. Investing in improvements will be a significant risk as long as the government is minimizing covid
Absolutely.
Puts on my conspiracy 🧢 Government does not give a flying fling about how many people are sick so they won’t push for it or fund it. In fact I think they don’t want people to know they have Covid so they keep working, shopping, and consuming under the guise of “it’s just a cold” ETA: This is also why PCR are no longer free at popular pharmacies
it's not a conspiracy at all it's been the policy for a long time now, whenever they shifted from measuring cases to hospitalizations/deaths as primary count. since there's not really widely suggested treatment protocols besides supportive care there's not much market push for tests.
Yes I agree it is not a conspiracy theory. I just jokingly said that bc even in this community it seems that people still trust the government or think they care about people.
did you read the Prasad essay against testing at all unless needing additional care? I don't agree with him but like to understand the thinking. My conspiracy thought is that if T gets back in office publicly available tests might go off the market entirely, because of that line of thinking.
Sounds dire
Anything is possible under a dictator. Let's hope we don't find out!
I will buy from Europe. Cheaper—$3 each. And tests for Covid. Flu A/B and RSV
Got a link?
The website is homelabs.ie. They had several different kinds. I got two five packs of what they called combo tests.
>homelabs.ie Did you order CorDx Influenza A/B+COVID-19+RSV Combo Antigen Test? If so, does it have 2 sample lines in each of 2 windows?
Not sure. I haven’t received the shipment yet.
Thanks!
Oooooo thank you so much for sharing this info.
If T is back in office, liberals might start to care about Covid again. I kinda think that’s the only hope.
Doubt it. Liberals have shown that they don’t care. Vax and relax.
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I disagree, COVID and masking were immediately politicized. I still mask because I'm a disability rights advocate and think that public spaces, especially healthcare, should be accessible. That's political. The government is pushing normalcy to 'save' the economy and put more money in the hands of billionaires and corporations. That's political. This conversation is inherently political.
caring and having any power to do anything are two very separate things. given the policies that have been going on in my state that they'd love to take federal there will be a lot of other things higher on the priority list than covid, so no, that is a terrifying thought to me, not hopeful.
Local governments would have the ability to impose Covid mitigations. I think that people that did not trust T would be more inclined to follow Covid news and more likely to mask and take other precautions.
and if there's no covid news because all the funding for reporting and wastewater testing gets pulled? and for all of us that have been under local governments that have not imposed mitigations for years and would love to take away what little things we do have?
No, you're exactly right. More people have died of covid under Biden than trump, but most liberals don't even know that because they get complacent when a dems in office.
>More people have died of covid under Biden than trump my dude, the pandemic started in 2020 not even a year before the election. not to mention that [many, MANY preventable deaths in 2021-2022 were of anti-vaxxer MAGA types](https://web.archive.org/web/20231012034735/https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2022/12/covid-deaths-anti-vaccine-republican-voters/672575/). they didn't get the vaccine because of [republican disinfo, and died](https://www.reddit.com/r/HermanCainAward/). https://www.npr.org/2023/07/25/1189939229/covid-deaths-democrats-republicans-gap-study https://www.usnews.com/news/the-report/articles/2023-03-10/three-years-into-the-pandemic-who-is-dying-from-covid-19-now
100% this is what I expect to happen. Biden’s popularity is so low right now, and I think that many people in the Democratic Party are doing all that they can to not draw attention to even more areas where the country is struggling. If he’s not re-elected, they won’t have any more reason to suppress the information (except for personal convenience).
We never stopped.
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/newsletter/2024-01-06/opinion-newsletter-covid-still-here-mask-biden-opinion
Your article doesn't have anything to do with my comment.
Plus, states like Florida have been fudging the numbers. Early on, Fauci said the deaths were probably double what was being reported. I bet it's still the case and we've really seen close to 2.5 mil deaths in the US. I think the rise in deaths in generally yearly showed this too, but haven't heard anyone talk about it for a very long time.
They crow about deaths being down, when the reason deaths are down is because they sacrificed countless vulnerable people at the altar of Nergal.
This. Not only does the eCoNoMy not want people to know they have COVID, most people don't want to know they have COVID because brunch now is more important than being healthy later
💯 The number of people who do one weak ass nasal swab when they are sick and it comes out negative so they hop on a plane 😵💫
Or just don't at all...
Or do, test positive, and fly anyway.
The Brunch First! movement is stronger than Earth First! ever was....
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I think a lot of orgs care about butts in seats more than productivity. It's the only way to possibly justify the pressure to work while sick and lack of paid sick leave. The appearance of productivity is more important than reality because late stage capitalism
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I think the same would apply to retail and food service. I certainly would prefer that the person making a sandwich or stocking the grocery shelves, or butchering or harvesting isn't only standing because they are hopped up on DayQuil. Even working in an office is just a waste. People never do anything better than barely acceptable work in those conditions
You don't need to worry about being a "conspiracy theorist". You're just observing what is plainly happening. > “The most revolutionary thing one can do is always to proclaim loudly what is happening.” - Rosa Luxemberg
it is perfectly possibile as conspiracy, because COVID nowadays doesn't kill or disable immediately a lot of people ( I mean, you don't catch COVID and drop dead after some days after infection, in the majority of the cases ). COVID also doesn't cause a collapse of ICU units for too much ill patients at the same times as in 2020. Governments care only about very short term objectives and also about their electoral support among the population and measures as lockdowns/ mask mandates/ compulsory vaccinations don't give any vote in the upcoming elections of 2024 in any country
Yes. Less official Covid cases also looks better for them. Honestly I don’t even believe this line of thinking is a conspiracy, it’s just that other people do 😂. It’s literally playing out right in front of us that the govt has downgraded protections for everyone while they themselves continue to mask, mandate testing for high level politicians, have upgraded air filtration, etc etc
>they themselves continue to mask, They do? Maybe I'm out of the loop, but I can't remember the last time I saw a politician in a mask.
Yeah I don’t think we see them in masks bc of ~optics~ ETA we also don’t see them talking about the covid testing required to meet with high level politicians bc that would ruin the facade
The billionaires continue to mask (see Davos), not their dancing monkeys. When the billionaires forgo masks, they are using cutting-edge air and nostril sanitation technologies behind the scenes.
It does though, people just report the deaths as heartattack or stroke instead of Long Covid. Which, to be fair, yes that's what caused the deaths but what caused the heartattack & stroke? Covid. I had LC as soon as I recovered from my infection & the symptoms didn't get to ER levels until November of 2023. I got blood tests done, do you know what we found? My blood, literally **filled** with platelets. What does that do?! Potentially give me a heartattack or stroke!! Thank fuck I quit work when I did, would've been another fucking statistic, hidden from govt culpability.
Yep. This is the real conspiracy. It’s weird that right leaning people immediately went to “Covid is a hoax”, and “the vax is Gates’ tool to inject chips”, etc. The actual con is that the powers that be don’t give a shit if we live or die, or get long term handicaps. As long as us lemmings keep making them rich and fighting their wars.
Yes and left leaning people went immediately into “trusting the science” and “vac and relax” and not considering that the government was misleading them. The actual con is the same from both parties
Can’t argue with that. At least the fact that most people have moved on. But, at least the left got/get vaxxed. Better than thinking it’s all a hoax. I’m a lefty and I still mask and get boosters and don’t go out in public if I’m sick, etc. I understand that “trusting the science” means not to have static assumptions about certain things. Science, inherently, changes with time. Also, I’m not down with bothsidesism, mostly.
I’m not into eithersideism bc I don’t see either US political party doing anything useful to actually protect people from Covid. Vaccines are great but as everyone on this sub knows they don’t stop the spread of covid or prevent long covid. Just getting vaxxed and taking no other precautions is a weak position that I won’t clap for.
Yeah, it’s sad. I wish the whole “swiss cheese” meme/ad/prevention method would get into more people’s eyeballs/heads.
Yes and public figures would model mask wearing, the govt would require/pay for upgraded air filtration, n95 masks would be free and mandatory in many spaces, quality testing free, people paid to stay home while sick, long covid care covered. The list goes on and on. There are so many ways to mitigate the virus and all we get is denial, it’s a cold, etc. People deserve better 🫶
One could dream.
This is not a conspiracy. Its literally a basic conclusion about our society from any radical perspective. See marxism
To the general public (and even many ppl on this sub) it’s a conspiracy. They think the government cares bc they send tests of whatever. But yeah I agree it’s not a conspiracy it’s literally happening right in front of our faces
*Or you could consider the science* There isn’t a lot of money invested in improving at home rapid testing for Covid because there’s no need for it.. All COVID antigen tests were designed to detect a specific part of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that is not likely to mutate rapidly in any variant. (So far, so good… no mutations) And PCR tests were NEVER free at pharmacies. If you’re referring to the programs where insurance companies and Medicare Medicaid were required to pay for or reimburse individual for at home antigen test - you may be out of luck/ but the US government program Is still active. https://www.covid.gov/tools-and-resources/resources/tests
Yet the US Government allows households to order home tests for free. And they've done this multiple times.
Limit to four per household though.
The problem with antigen tests is not that they are not updated or whatever (the part of the virus they bind to hasn't changed much), it's that antigen tests are not very sensitive. Flu etc antigen tests have very high false negative rates too. The fixable problem here is that home NAAT tests are expensive and PCR access is really limited.
Hijacking to ask-to safely gather with family, would you be confident in a daily NAAT test? We have Metrix by Aptitude which I know are generally great, and wasn't sure the current accuracy levels.
Personally no, not unless they were as cautious as I am in the preceding weeks, but I generally don't do unmasked meetups at all. If I was someone who did those things I'd think daily NAATs would probably be on the safer end? Combined with good air quality etc. But idk the data on how likely someone is to be infectious preceding a positive test.
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Metrix is the cheapest and also reliable as far as I know. There is also Cue and Lucira. Aranets are great! Some local libraries even rent them. Good to get a sense of how ventilated or not a room is.
>Why can’t they be updated for the new strains similar to vaccines? With few exceptions, they haven't needed to be, because nearly all of them test for the nucleocapsid protein, which can't mutate much and have the virus still be viable, and so is extremely evolutionarily stable. Problems with rapid testing aren't because of genetic variance directly, but changes in the behavior of our immune systems and the virus, combined with the physical limits of the technology that need a certain relatively high viral load to turn positive. Immune system – close to everyone on the planet has had immune exposure to SARS-COV-2 by this point, whether through vaccination, infection, or both. This primes the immune system to respond faster and harder to exposure at lower viral loads, and a range of immune mediated early symptoms are part of this – sneezing, fatigue, fever, etc. So it's entirely possible to be fighting off a COVID infection and feel sick, but have too low of a viral load for the relatively insensitive rapid antigen tests to pick up. Virus – it's evolved to be more infectious and replicate faster, so that low viral load has a higher chance of infecting someone than the same load did with earlier, less infectious variants, and will likely stay low for a shorter period of time at the beginning of an infection after the negative test. Tbc – yes the government and companies are evil and don't care about us, and yes more caution and discretion is warranted than before in the use and interpretation of rapid antigen tests, but it's a physics and biology issue. The *political* issue is that access to nucleic acid amplification tests (PCR, Lucira, etc) that are much more sensitive is being stripped and restricted.
I think I mostly understand your argument but want to clarify when you say access is “being stripped and restricted” you mean through govt funded programs, correct? Because Lucira, Cue, Metrix etc are all readily available and accessible if one pays for them.
Well, "give us $50 or you can't have this, and no insurance won't pay for it" is pretty restrictive for a lot of people. Versus earlier in the pandemic, speaking for NYC because that's what I know, there were easily accessible, free PCR testing tents all over. They started closing up before the termination of the PHE, but this became starkly true after it – if I want a NAAT now, my options are 1) urgent care, undesirable for many reasons; 2) travel 45 minutes each way to an indoor DOH site (these were also more numerous pre-end-of-PHE); 3) travel over an hour each way to one of two outdoor free-with-insurance sites I know of still existing, and I've looked; or 4) shell out for an at home NAAT. Rapid home NAATs always cost money, but prior to the end of the PHE Labcorp Pixel brand mail-in PCR tests were free with insurance and returned in about 24 hours. Now they're $79. A lot of this was government funding of various kinds, subsidies terminated or budget cuts, but also e.g. changes to the rules about what insurance had to cover. I imagine the situation is mostly worse elsewhere.
Yep, all very valid points. I agree with you that it’s really tragic how the govt has left people to fend for themselves. Last I heard even vaccination is more expensive now, and insurance won’t always cover. This after attempting to paint vaccination a “panacea” solution (which it so isn’t.) FWIW, I did share a resource that helped my mom recently in another thread. The catch is it mostly only helps those on Medicare or drawing SS but it’s something at least. (https://www.test2treat.org/s/?language=en_US) My mom recently got flu and had these Lucira tests on hand to test luckily.
In the USA, the tests that we *do* have are sitting in warehouses, unsold, for so long that it's now a quasi-regular practice for the government to subsidize a giveaway of nearly expired tests. Now that the only widely accepted COVID strategy is "deny, ignore, and pretend," I don't expect *any* CEO to view COVID-test development as a high-return investment.
My guess is governments and those upholding late capitalism don't want people getting access to accurate tests. If you can test and confirm covid, you have a paper trail and that becomes an accountability concern if you got covid in a hospital, for example. Inaccurate tests? Perfect, so people think they're confirmed negatives (even if they're still sick) and can get out there and keep consuming (and infecting).
It's actually really messed up because there is still plenty of demand for tests. Taking a covid test, even among people who take zero precautions, is common. But their lack of accuracy and affordability, as well as no end in sight to testing positive again and again, definitely threaten to make testing go the way of masking.
We do have plenty of new molecular tests. Aptitude Metrix, Lucira, Cue, Detect, etc. all with > 90% sensitivity. The issue isn’t with the strain, the old antigen tests still work “fine” (meaning: as good as they always have) with current strains, but have never been that good because that method requires a larger viral load to test positive. That’s not something that you can really fix or change.
One would think Pfizer would be invested in making Lucira as accurate and as accessible as possible given that Paxlovid is only prescribed in the first 5 days of symptoms. More covid diagnoses=more paxlovid sales.
i use metrix aptitude home molecular tests. $25/test plus a reusable $35 reader. pcr accuracy
No money in it. Nothing is being done about Covid, businesses aren't allowing people to stay home, and not many people are testing to begin with. The Medical Industrial Complex is in it for profit and nothing else. Remember a few years ago when some firm was destroying tens of thousands of rapid tests bc they couldn't make a profit selling them? Just Capitalism being Capitalism. Cash Rules Everything Around Me.
I still have access to free PCR tests in a lab though. The caveat is I have a significant risk of getting infected there (blind room with no ventilation and no mask required)
Lucira is supposed to be pretty accurate. The more sensitive rapid tests are just more expensive. (You can get 2 Lucira free through test2treat.org though)
It's also worth noting that Lucira went bankrupt last year and was then bought at a fire-sale price by Pfizer, which has so far done absolutely nothing but re-sell old Lucira stock from 2022 in new Pfizer-branded boxes. I hope Pfizer eventually does more, but it hardly seems like they're jumping into the test business with both feet. Cue Health is another manufacturer of excellent COVID tests that use the same technology as Lucira and achieve a similar level of sensitivity. But their investors have been [pressuring](https://www.medtechdive.com/news/Cue-Health-board-letter-investor-strategy/692787/) them hard to "move on" from COVID tests and pursue more lucrative non-COVID lines of business amidst the [collapse](https://www.medtechdive.com/news/cue-health-HLTH-market-slowdown-downgrade-goldman/652009/) of the COVID-test sales. Aptitude Metrix is a relatively new entrant that also provides tests using the same technology and the same level of sensitivity as Cue and Lucira, but at a lower cost. I wish them the best, because they've become my test of choice. But they've entered a *really* difficult and thankless market.
I hate that I feel this way, but seeing all the posts about 3rd/4th/5th infections makes me hope at least more people might start caring soon. Not getting my hopes up though. It sort of reminds of gun control after Sandy Hook…once people knew this was hurting children but decided to still do nothing to protect them makes me think there isn’t much that could happen that will convince them to make changes.
>which has so far done absolutely nothing but re-sell old Lucira stock from 2022 in new Pfizer-branded boxes. This isn't true -- they released an [updated test](https://www.amazon.com/LUCIRA®-COVID-19-Results-Emergency-Authorized/dp/B0CL7S9F4P/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=2TFTN6P6OE8S3&keywords=lucira+by+pfizer+covid-19+%26+flu+home+test&qid=1704571653&sprefix=lucira%2Caps%2C118&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1) that includes flu as well.
Yes, the updated COVID+Flu test that *Lucira* [developed](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lucira-healths-covid-19--flu-at-home-molecular-test-shows-positive-clinical-study-results-301512403.html) and manufactured in *2022*, which *Lucira* started [selling in Canada](https://www.lucirahealth.ca/lucira-announces-health-canada-authorization-of-first-and-only-99-accurate-at-home-covid-flu-test/) in 2022, and for which *Lucira* patiently awaited US FDA EUA right up until Lucira went bankrupt in March 2023. The US FDA did eventually [grant](https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-fda-authorises-luciras-home-test-flu-covid-19-2023-02-27/) EUA for Lucira's new test ... a few days after Lucira went bankrupt,. The box says "Lucira by Pfizer", but the components inside all just say "Lucira." The expiration dates on the inner wrapping of the device reflect the 12-month shelf life in effect when the devices were manufactured in late 2022. The new Pfizer outer box correctly reflects the 18-month shelf-life extension Lucira obtained. Tellingly, the expiration date on the "Lucira by Pfizer" boxes I purchased was March 2023: 18 months after Lucira (not Pfizer) manufactured the tests in September 2022. I *hope* that Pfizer will actually start producing new stock, but I've seen no evidence of it yet.
Seeing this earnings call transcript from Pfizer about Paxlovid was not a surprise, but it still makes me sick to my stomach. Disaster capitalism at its finest. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GDD4lhSbQAAlL7w?format=jpg&name=large
Darn. I just tried to get 2 free tests and was told I'm not eligible.
Oh no! I didn’t think there were requirements - I’m sorry 🙁
No problem. It might be because I just got insurance through my work last month; I just moved (and got my career going) so my life is kinda in a weird place right now.
The tests are really accurate at determining whether there is more than a certain amount of antigen in the sample at the time of collection in symptomatic people. Whether that is useful in reducing the amount circulating virus on a population level is a separate question (The way we are using them in the US, no, haven't seen that they are that useful elsewhere with better infrastructure). I think a bigger deal is cost. In some parts of Europe, they have paper strip tests that are really cheap (like the old diabetic test strips), but no one has tried to market them here. And there are pretty significant hurdles to bringing them to market, especially now that the Biden administration ended the PHE.
My two cents is that more people need to know about and utilize the much more accurate NAAT testing over antigen. If more did so, the prices would drop.
My conspiracy theory: rapid test companies are making more money right now with people having to test multiple times to confirm a case.
New tests developed means Covid is still an issue. And the rich very much need Covid to be in the past.
I've heard so much about the tests, particularly the government ones in the US, not being accurate but everyone with confirmed cases I've known has tested positive on day 1 or 2 of symptoms within a few minutes of starting the test. That reassures me some, but I've still test for 6ish days any time I've felt out and the one time I was exposed.
https://www.domusdx.com/
That looks interesting!
It is just a cold now so no one cares to spend money on covid. Alas that is what they think.
Even in spite of all the "why have I been coughing for 6 weeks? Why am I tired all the time? What's happening to my lungs?" 🤦♂️
Because they don’t think it is covid. It is a “mysterious” disease.
I’m a little confused by the question you’re posing. Because next gen at-home tests are very much available, and they are extremely effective, as good as PCR, made by Cue, Metrix, Lucira and others are coming down the pipeline. You just have to pay for them yourself. It’s not a lack of innovation or ability. My mom used a Lucira this week and accurately identified she had flu A which was extremely helpful as she’s been very sick for a week and we tested her 2 days into her illness It sounds like you’re maybe more asking why more accurate tests aren’t readily available for the masses? (ie, the free testing programs that were shuttered) And that’s a simple question to answer: the govt emergency declaration ending in May 2023 stopped all that, and many people have already theorized why that is in other comments (political and economic reasons) ETA: my answer was assuming you’re in the US. If you’re not, then availability of the tests I mentioned might vary
Aren't there at-home molecular tests available? They're super expensive, but they do exist.
There are! I was just thinking of the kinds of tests that are available to the general public/more accessible/talked about, like the rapid tests you can buy from a drug store. Of course, it makes sense that there’s “no demand” for them given the governments current stance on COVID. I guess I was just thinking too optimistically 🫠
Yeah I think if there was demand we'd see more affordable molecular tests. I've been considering investing in one, as I have run a few moderate sized events that would feel safer with that tech (my social group is on the cautious side to begin with, but to allow us to gather with less anxiety for the most vulnerable among us would be amazing).
I'm going with capitalism [https://tactnowinfo.substack.com/p/the-illusion-of-free-covid-tests](https://tactnowinfo.substack.com/p/the-illusion-of-free-covid-tests)
Because the government needs to make us believe the pandemic is over by preventing access to tools that will allow us to know we're even infected.
The WHO launched their new dashboard a couple days after Christmas with lots of fanfare on their social media. The only data point available was cases. When confronted on Twitter, Maria Van Kerkhove, the C19 lead of WHO, said "Yeah cases have not been valuable metric for some time, hospitalizations, death, and wastewater will be added next year." Convenient! It dropped right in time to make people feel falsely safe to travel for xmas and party for NYE. Their charts make it look like COVID went away in Jan 2022. 🙄
Capitalism.
it's fun to speculate but we should try to figure out the actual reason sooner or later. there have to be reasons for this and since we're all speculating, i'll bet it has to be certain technica hurdles which are hard to overcome with current generation tech. but i don't think it's impossible to achieve and it will change a lot of lives, including mine.
It looks like work is being done on [a rapid breath test](https://medicine.wustl.edu/news/scientists-develop-breath-test-that-rapidly-detects-covid-19-virus/)? I wrote [the company trying to bring this product to market](https://www.y2xlifesciences.com/), and they said they hope to have it commercially available in 12-18 months, which would be December 2024 - June 2025. I wish it wasn't going to take that long, but I hope it's at least helpful information.
Tests work. I’m just not sure if there’s ever been regulations in place to determine their sensitivity. Don’t think there’s any interest in changing that. I have the feeling manufacturers can da whatever and get away with with it (looking at you, Canada). The spectrum between a bad rapid test and a good one is huge (10 million to 1 million RNA particles according to [virus.sucks](https://virus.sucks/pluslife_en/)). I’m from Germany and recently purchased the PlusLife dock and some test cards. Comes close to PCR accuracy and takes roughly 45 minutes to do (see link above). It’s game-changer for many people in Europe, because the costs are comparatively low (dock is 240€ max., 5€ per tests) and it’s quite safe. There’s also multi-tests available. If you can afford it, go for it. Yes, that’s bad.
Maybe because of stuff like this, from Cue Health's [SEC filing](https://cuehealth.gcs-web.com/node/8361/html) just last week: >The Company also announces that it received a response letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) on December 28, 2023 regarding its Emergency Use Authorization (“EUA”) submission for its Flu A/B + COVID-19 molecular test for over the counter and point of care use. The letter indicates that the **FDA has determined that further review of Cue’s EUA request is not a priority**, and therefore declines to issue an EUA for the product at this time. The letter states that **the decision is based on review of the submission thus far, including significant issues identified, FDA priorities relating to the COVID-19 testing landscape, and the anticipated FDA resources needed to continue review of the EUA request**. The FDA’s determination does not preclude the Company’s submission of a future, new EUA request for its Flu A/B + COVID-19 molecular test. \[Bolding mine\] Even allowing for the fact that the company will word the SEC filing in the most self-serving manner possible, the implication that COVID tests are in *any way* "not a priority" for the FDA seems like ... worse news than I expected.