Photo: CBS 12
President Biden says 500 million rapid at-home COVID tests will soon be made available for free, but you may be wondering if they detect cases of the Omicron variety.
"We've heard a lot about how omicron obviously has a lot of mutations in that spike protein but thankfully they actually detect the virus by targeting another protein. So, yes they still can detect omicron."
USF Epidemiologist Dr. Jason Salemi says the rapid tests are generally 80 to 85 percent reliable in detecting the coronavirus for those who are symptomatic.
He recommends getting a PCR test if you test positive through the rapid test.
"I think it's vitally important that we find ways to get that information to the county and state health departments so that we're tracking numbers as accurately as we can."
That's why he calls it a "wise decision" to notify your local health department if you end up testing positive through one of these at-home tests and you never seek healthcare.
Click Here for more from Dr. Salemi.