At-home testing is widespread these days. But chances are the results aren't making their way into the public health system.
The order, which could go into effect as soon as July 29, has raised concerns among business groups and sparked questions about its necessity.Dr. Sara H. Cody, Santa Clara County’s health officer and public health director, agreed with Wachter that the new infections reported by health officials each day are “an undercount.” But that may not be as big a drawback as it would have been at the start of the pandemic.
Despite the data issues they create, at-home antigen tests are an important complement to PCR tests, Cody said. They alert people who need to isolate and “reduce the chances that they are going to go on and infect others, which is important broadly to public health.”