Why are people testing negative right before testing positive?

Did you know?
Rapid tests are only accurate for the day you take them. 

COVID rapid tests look for antigens, which are the component of a virus that triggers your immune response. 

This means, if your rapid test is negative, you don’t currently have the virus present in levels that are transmissible to others. 

BUT that doesn’t mean that your viral levels won’t be high enough to be transmissible tomorrow, because viruses can reproduce rapidly.

With the new variant, Omicron, here are some tips:
1. Assume that any positive rapid test (even a faint line) is a COVID-19 case

1. Recognize that one negative rapid test is not enough, especially in early infection, it takes several negative tests over a period of days to rule out COVID-19 with confidence
2. Consider doing two tests, one swabbing nose only and one swabbing throat and nose (if available)