At-Home Coronavirus Tests Idea Progresses, Experts Call It a Long Shot

Harvard scientists talk about possible frequent at-home Coronavirus tests as a bold idea to curb the spread.  

For several weeks Harvard scientists have been introducing the idea of rolling out antigen tests to tens of millions of Americans for near-daily, at-home use. Although these tests are not perfect at picking up low-level infections they give results in minutes and they are very affordable and convenient. 

Despite it being a promising way to have real-time and daily virus information, experts said that near-ubiquitous antigen testing might not be effective in practice. 

Esther Babady, the director of the clinical microbiology service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York explained: “We are open to thinking outside the box and coming up with new ways to handle this pandemic”. As nobody has done an intense study to show the effectiveness of the fast and frequent tests in the real world, she added: “But antigen tests that could work at home have yet to enter the market”.

The idea still catches the attention of experts all over the world. While some said it is a largely aspirational one and it needs to be checked against reality, others think it worth the long shot and will keep trying to make it happen. If it works it could squash the virus.