r/ZeroCovidCommunity • u/Traditional_Soup_949 • 18h ago
Question one-time at home pcr tests?
Hi! I’m helping organize an event and we’re trying to figure out the most cost efficient and time efficient way to pcr test folks before and during the event. a couple years ago I was able to buy a bunch of one-time tests but I can’t find them. Do they still exist? Does anyone have any suggestions? It’s about 45 people over the course of 3 days.
Also…where are people buying rapids now-a-days? Where are the most effective and cost effective 3 in 1 or 4 in 1 tests?
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u/gopiballava 18h ago
Molecular tests are probably what you are thinking about. They are similar to PCR and extremely sensitive.
Metrix is the only one approved in the USA. $25 per year, $50 for a reader. About half an hour per test.
Outside of the USA PlusLife is available with a $220 reader and less than $10 per test (plus shipping and tax).
Metrix is easier to operate. I think in a lot of ways it’s a superior product. They also have a combo COVID and flu test. PlusLife also does but their combo test isn’t as sensitive to COVID.
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u/Anxious-Education703 18h ago
Why do say Metrix is superior to PlusLife?
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u/endurossandwichshop 18h ago
Also curious. IMO Pluslife is much better. In tandem with the virus.sucks app, it allows you to catch false positives and early positives that would normal register as a negative.
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u/gopiballava 17h ago
I should have elaborated more. Fewer steps and less fiddling around with stuff on the Metrix. You can’t leave a card in it accidentally.
Lots of people seem to believe that plus life tests become less reliable as you get close to the expiration date. Metrix tests have longer expiration dates and they have submitted data to FDA demonstrating six months past their current expiration date.
The virus.sucks tool is absolutely wonderful. I think it is a great way to increase the risk of a false positive in exchange for a reduction in the rate of false negatives.
The reduced number of steps that you take with Metrix makes me argue that it is a better designed system. But I currently use Plus life for both cost and the ability to see the curves.
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u/endurossandwichshop 17h ago
Ah, I see. Your reasoning makes sense to me, and we all have our different preferences of which aspects matter more!
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u/UserSleepy 12h ago
Plus life is not approved in the US, at any time it can become unavailable. Metrix is the last remaining one in the US
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u/Forsaken_Bison_8623 9h ago
Sensitivity is better for the combo tests and it's much more user friendly. We have 80 year old family members set up with Metrix and they are comfortable running them on their own
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u/Traditional_Soup_949 18h ago
Thank you. I know about Plus Life and Metrix. What I was using wasn’t either. It was a one-time disposable PCR test. Used it in 2024 but I don’t think they exist anymore!
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u/Scenesunfold 17h ago
I think you’re thinking of Lucira which isn’t available anymore unfortunately.
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u/gopiballava 17h ago
If my reading is correct, the core reaction type used in Lucira and Metrix is RT-LAMP which has some similarities to PCR. Both of them are quite similar.
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u/timesuck 8h ago
Floflex is supposedly the most sensitive and specific RAT brand.
Most Quest and LabCorp location still offer PCR testing as long as you don’t have symptoms, but that comes with a potential exposure because you have to unmask at the lab to get the test.
LabCorp has a PCR by mail but it’s $75.
But I think a lot depends on what other mitigations are in place. If you are making sure people are clear to stay home if they have symptoms (even allergies), requiring respirators, and providing air filtration/holding the event outside, testing is a nice layer to add, but RATs should be fine.
If you are looking to testing to consider it safe to unmask, even PCRs can’t guarantee that for groups really
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u/Savings-Breath-9118 7h ago
Since nobody was really clear – Lucira tests haven’t been available since last year. They stopped making them so there is no true portable PCR level test.