Christmas comes Saturday, with New Year's Eve the following Friday. Kids are off from school, and Bills fans are sure to gather in living rooms for a must-see game against the Patriots.
It's a lot of togetherness.
So how can you protect yourself and others from Covid-19 as the virus spreads and mutates, even affecting those who are vaccinated?
For many, the key will be home tests.
Public health experts say people who are optimally vaccinated – meaning both doses of Pfizer and Moderna plus a booster or the one-shot J & J plus a booster – can gather together safely.
Getting tested before getting together is a good way to minimize risk.
"That would be a good use of these home tests, right? They're not perfect. But if everyone's asymptomatic, and everyone tests negative – if you're positive, you don't show up at the festivities – that will be an extra layer of protection for those who are vulnerable," said Dr. Thomas Russo, chief of infectious diseases at the University at Buffalo's Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.
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"I think that is a reasonable approach," he said, "if you can get your hands on those home tests."
How do home tests work?
There are a variety of tests that can be bought over the counter at drugstores or online.
The two commonly available kits are the Abbott BinaxNOW and Quidel QuickVue. Both are rapid antigen tests, which are different from the more precise PCR tests whose samples are sent to labs.
The self-administered home tests detect the virus itself – not the antibodies – by looking for specific proteins.
Test takers swab their own noses and can get results in minutes.
Experts recommend following the directions exactly as written. If it says wait 10 minutes for results, wait 10 minutes.
How reliable are home tests?
Health officials say they're pretty reliable but not perfect.
"Rapid Covid-19 antigen tests work best when used serially – that is, testing every day or every other day – or when an individual is symptomatic," said Kara Kane, a spokeswoman for the Erie County Department of Health. "Rapid Covid-19 antigen tests – as with any Covid-19 test – are a snapshot in time. They are less sensitive and less specific than a molecular diagnostic test, and have a greater chance of a false negative. Still, using an at-home test before holiday gatherings is one of many tools that individuals can take to protect those around them, particularly people who are vulnerable due to not being fully vaccinated or having an immunocompromising medical condition."
The home tests are valuable, because when it shows a positive result for Covid-19, you can isolate yourself right away to prevent spreading it to others. That's better than waiting days for the result of a lab test.
"When you have a positive home test, then you can be pretty sure you have the virus. It's highly likely," said Dr. Tim Murphy, senior associate dean for clinical and translational research in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB.
"The challenge comes in how you interpret a negative test," Murphy said.
False negatives are more common than false positives. To be truly sure you don't have Covid, you should take a series of home tests separated by 24 hours.
Think of the home tests as another good tool to reduce risk of infection, along with masks, handwashing and good air circulation.
How do I get a home test?
There are 16 different self-administered tests available on the market in the U.S., 12 of which are antigen tests.
Home tests cost between $20 to $30 and many come with two tests per kit.
Murphy advises to check the packaging on the test for an indication it has emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Also, only three kinds are authorized for children, so ask your pharmacist if you're buying tests specifically for children.
He also said to make sure that the tests are rapid home tests. There are some kits that allow users to take a sample at home but then must mail the sample to a lab. That defeats the whole purpose of a quick result.
Now, with so many people making plans to travel or gather and worries circulating over the Omicron variant, it's tough to find the kits in stores. Many people report having to go to multiple stores to find one. CVS and Walgreens have both announced that they're limiting the number of kits customers can buy and also warn they may be out of stock.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said earlier this week that the county is expecting a "significant supply" of rapid antigen tests from the state next week and that they would be distributed to the public. No details were available as of Thursday as to where, but Poloncarz mentioned the possibility of libraries and community centers as distribution points.
Also, the federal government is expected to offer free home tests to the public early next year.
Can the home tests detect the Omicron variant?
Yes, most of them do, said Dr. Jennifer A. Surtees, co-director of UB's Genome, Environment and Microbiome Community of Excellence.
"The antigen tests that use the nucleocapsid protein as a target, which I believe is most of them, is able to pick up Omicron as well as any other variant. Home antigen tests do give false positives and false negatives, however. We do know that antigen tests tend to be negative early in an infection. There is new data (not peer reviewed) that suggests that the virus is in people's breath a day or two before it is detected by antigen tests."
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a statement Wednesday that the antigen tests, including Binax and QuickVue, "are able to detect the Omicron variant with similar performance as with other variants" but that it "continues to monitor and evaluate the impact of genetic variants on antigen tests."
What if I have Covid-19 symptoms but test negative?
Public health experts say this isn't the time to take chances with your and other people's health.
"If you feel ill or have Covid-19 symptoms, test or no test, stay home. A negative at-home Covid-19 test doesn’t rule out influenza, RSV or other communicable illnesses," Kane said.
Murphy recommended seeking a PCR test for a more precise result, even if your home test was negative.
Erie County labs have started testing for influenza and RSV, along with Covid-19.
For more information, go to: www2.erie.gov/health/index.php?q=press/erie-county-department-health-adds-testing-influenza-and-rsv-covid-19-testing.
The state Health Department website has a link to find local Covid-19 testing: coronavirus.health.ny.gov/find-test-site-near-you.
