People wait in cars to get a COVID-19 test, Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021, in Miami. COVID-19 has strained some Florida hospitals so much that ambulance services and fire departments can no longer respond as usual to every call.
Marta Lavandier / AP Photo
Marta Lavandier / AP Photo
People wait in cars to get a COVID-19 test, Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021, in Miami. COVID-19 has strained some Florida hospitals so much that ambulance services and fire departments can no longer respond as usual to every call.
Airdate: Tuesday, January 11, 2022
After almost two years since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S., the omicron variant is driving the biggest surge of cases yet.
There are some differences from early 2020 though. Most adults are vaccinated and omicron doesn’t appear to cause as serious of an illness and as many hospitalizations as the delta variant for example.
But almost two years in with ever-changing rules and guidance, testing is once again an issue – especially since even the vaccinated can become infected. When should you get tested? How often should you get tested? What’s the best test to get? How accurate are the antigen tests that can be purchased at a store or online? What should you do if none of the antigen tests are available or can be found on sale?
Also, the symptoms for a cold, the flu and COVID-19 are similar. How can we tell the difference?
To answer those questions and more on Tuesday’s Smart Talk is Dr. Eugene Curley, Infectious Disease Physician at Wellspan Health.
