Doctors: Home tests can detect current COVID-19 strains

COVID-19 cases on Long Island are on the rise again, and with the holiday season underway medical experts are warning the numbers could go higher.

They stress that the best protection against the deadly virus is vaccination and boosters, and that other measures can help, too. Here are some key questions and answers:

Do home tests still work effectively with all the new variants?

Yes, home tests remain able to detect circulating strains, said Dr. David Hirschwerk, an infectious disease expert at New Hyde Park-based Northwell Health. In general, they are not as sensitive as PCR tests, “but if the swab is done properly, especially if someone is symptomatic, it remains a good test.” Dr. Alan M. Bulbin, director of infectious disease at Catholic Health St. Francis Hospital & Heart Center in Flower Hill, noted that while home tests will detect current predominating BQ.1 variants, “false negatives are still possible.” If there is a sign of COVID symptoms and the home test is negative, you can then consider a PCR, he said.

Do you need to get a PCR if you test positive on a rapid test?

“If your home test is positive, you do not need to confirm with a PCR, it should be viewed as a true positive result,” Bulbin said. Hirschwerk said he agreed, especially since community COVID rates are currently elevated on Long Island. Nassau and Suffolk counties currently are considered “high transmission” areas for COVID-19 by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That is the highest level.

What are the latest guidelines on quarantining?

If you are exposed to a positive individual, there is no need to quarantine if you remain asymptomatic, Bulbin said. But if you have a positive test, isolation for five days is still required.

Are tests covered under insurance?

The federal government still requires insurance companies to cover COVID-19 tests, Bulbin said. Leslie Moran, a senior vice president with the New York Health Plan Association, an umbrella group representing 29 health insurance companies, said that is the case with almost all insurance companies in the state — customers should be able to get the tests for free. Meanwhile, the federal government is also mailing out a third round of free test kits to families who want them. In this round, households can receive four free rapid antigen tests.

What is the latest guidance on masking?

Masking is not required in New York State except in hospitals and health care facilities. However, the CDC and many doctors specializing in infectious disease recommend masking indoors in crowded places like supermarkets, movie theaters, schools, or restaurants when not eating. That will help protect you and people you live with or have close contact with. “Based on the current high community rates, it is reasonable to mask indoors in crowded settings,” Hirschwerk said. “But it is very unlikely that it will become mandatory."