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COVID-19 Check-in 2.0

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Comments

  • YaleDawgYaleDawg Posts: 7,098 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    Supply and demand.

    You're also not doing a PCR test which takes longer but gives more accurate results.

  • JayDogJayDog Posts: 5,558 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    @GrayDawg, I totally agree on the economic thinking. We are in trouble and things will get worse before they get better.

    Had we made it law to wear masks and social distance in January, and seriously enforced it, my guess is we’d be in a better position today. We may not have needed to lock it down. Starting there, and then locking down as necessary seemed a more sensible approach to me. The economy would have been affected but maybe we print less money through more targeted aid to those economically displaced by mitigation efforts.

    Of course, that would depend on all people complying with the mitigation efforts.

  • Denmen185Denmen185 Posts: 7,397 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    You are presumably getting an Abbott test which means that you can only process 4 people an hour. The molecular tests done at a drive-through etc get sent to Quest/LabCorp who have machines capable of testing 1,000+ per hour. Just a volume issue although the nasal swab is also more accurate assuming that the sampling is done correctly.

  • texdawgtexdawg Posts: 11,566 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    PCR gives more accurate results? Aren't you either positive or negative?

    If PCR gives more accurate results then we may be wasting money.......the test works or it doesn't.

    And if it's supply and demand.......there is very little to the tests. Long swabs and a couple other things.......

    15 minute test seems like a no brainer.

  • texdawgtexdawg Posts: 11,566 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    It is a nasal swab......both nostrils.

    And the 4 person limit doesn't add up.

    The first week we did it we tested all 12 that are in the warehouse/office. All results were processed quickly. I believe within 15 minutes....may have been slightly longer.

    We tested outside salespeople separately.

    And we test 5 employees everyweek with immediate results. And that answer is a fact.

    And I understand that part of the cost is having someone come to the office..... don't understand why the rest of the test has to be do much more expensive.

  • YaleDawgYaleDawg Posts: 7,098 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    PCR tests are very sensitive (identify true positives) and very specific (identify true negatives). Your company is likely using an antigen point of care test which detects proteins on the surface of the virus. While these tests are very specific they tend to be less sensitive and produce more false negatives than PCR tests. The million dollar question is how many false negatives does it produce?

  • texdawgtexdawg Posts: 11,566 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    So the test only produces false negatives and not false positives?

    It seems simple to me.....a test either works or it doesn't.......and it sounds to me that we may be wasting money.

    Unfortunately...... I struggle with gray areas.....it's a weakness of mine.

    Obviously these test shouldn't be on the market if what you suggest is true.

  • dawgnmsdawgnms Posts: 5,169 mod

    If your employer was not so cheap then you could take the more expensive and proven more accurate test. Matter of money.

    My clinic will not touch the Abbott test, PCR only, we are going to start random testing pretty soon. Not saying the Abbott test are bad just not as accurate and cheaper.......old adage is you get what you pay for.....

  • YaleDawgYaleDawg Posts: 7,098 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate
    edited July 2020

    In general we know that these tests aren't going to be as accurate as PCR tests, but they produce results much faster which make them useful in certain contexts IF they identify a high enough percentage of true positive cases. You want them to identify at least 95% of true positive cases to be considered effective. There has been a lot of controversy surrounding these rapid point of care tests because many of them have been shown to identify a much lower percentage of positive cases.

    Edit: unfortunately there is a lot of gray area with this type of stuff.

  • texdawgtexdawg Posts: 11,566 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    Never thought our company was that cheap.....my brother and I.......mainly him.....spend quite a bit of money on our employees........

    Don't know if it is the Abbot test or not.......just that it's $300 a pop.....doesn't feel so cheap.

    And we are getting the test we thought was available.

  • texdawgtexdawg Posts: 11,566 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    Why is your company going to start random testing pretty soon? Why hasn't it started testing already? Too cheap?

  • dawgnmsdawgnms Posts: 5,169 mod

    When it comes to the health and wellbeing of your employees money should not be an object. There are several rapid tests and like @YaleDawg said not as accurate but this is all new to everyone and a lot of gray areas......good that your are testing your people a lot of employers would not put out the expense, they would just let them spread it around so don't get me wrong you are doing a good thing that most won't do...

  • BankwalkerBankwalker Posts: 5,348 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    @texdawg notice he said the PCR is “more accurate.” None of these things are 100%, but with any competing products of this type, there will be some that work better than others. Kind of like how a Chevy is a darn good truck, but it takes a Ford to pull one out of a ditch.

  • dawgnmsdawgnms Posts: 5,169 mod
    edited July 2020

    DOD Navy my command is Medical and they are going to random test us since we play Corona Roulette on a daily basis. Has to have like 35 signatures to be approved lol, cheap nah not when it comes from OUR tax dollars

  • flemingislanddawgflemingislanddawg Posts: 581 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    Yes it would have helped but it is all hindsight. Nobody even came close to considering masks or a shutdown in January. Some travel from China was stopped in January but was criticized when it happened.

  • texdawgtexdawg Posts: 11,566 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    OK ....the PCR is more accurate. But what good does it do to wait days for results. We wear masks in the office and warehouse.......but we aren't quarantining waiting on results.

    Employees have to be paid, warehouse lease has to be paid, huge electric bill, on and on.....can't wait for test results. If someone tests positive......we need them gone.

    But honestly.......Dallas is supposed to be ground zero........and I hardly know anyone that has tested positive.

    But we are about to lose 4 employees.......not because they tested positive or someone close to them tested positive.... they have to stay home because their kids can't be in school.

    I'm looking at 100s of cars drive by my office......non stop. We are unloading and loading trucks as fast as possible.......but our kids can't be in school or play sports.

    What universe are we living in?

    But i degrees

  • BankwalkerBankwalker Posts: 5,348 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    My interest in this article is related to quercetin in combination with zinc. Read down and you might be shocked at what viruses this combination has gained trial approval for in the US and other countries. Zinc is sold in most grocery and drug stores. Quercetin can be bought on the internet or herbal vitamin stores.

    What’s the harm if you are someone concerned about covid?

    I’ve been taking vitamin D and zinc, but know it is difficult for the body to absorb zinc

  • dawgnmsdawgnms Posts: 5,169 mod
    edited July 2020

    To put it into perspective you are making a business decision, just like the decision to play sports or open schools is a business decision, teachers that are high risk don't want to up their chance of exposure by being around school age people who may have the virus and are not having symptoms.

    Spending 300.00 per test is a business decision, good on you, but spending that 300.00 to help your 4 employees whom I assume are good employees pay some of the child expenses may be a better decision, do not get me wrong,

     not telling you how to run your business but it is a 2 way street. Me I personally believe people should live their lives how they want free of government interference.

  • BankwalkerBankwalker Posts: 5,348 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    Confounding that signatures hold up so many things. A buddy was supposed to be going to Nevada for about a month to the AF base out there. His trip was delayed because he was waiting on the 3 star general on base to sign off on it. Why in the heck a command general needs to sign for one person to leave town is beyond me. I can’t imagine the paperwork for what you’re doing.

This discussion has been closed.