Entering the holiday season, after the pandemic forced many people to celebrate almost last year, the demand for tests has increased as many people prepare to gather, but how accurate are they for those who use home testing methods?

There are many family options, the latest of which was authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last month. But after some tests were recalled due to false positive results, concerns were raised.

This is what you should know.

The most accurate form of COVID testing is the PCR test, although there are currently no authorized home tests that provide this method, but instead rely on antigen testing.

According to Dr. Nimmi Rajagopal, deputy director of the Department of Family and Community Medicine of the Cook County Health Department, the accuracy of the test "depends on the specific circumstances."

"Of course, for any test, a certain percentage of people may get false positives or false negatives, and these tests are all in the same field," she told NBC Chicago. "So it depends to some extent on what you are testing and what the risks are."

Home tests will miss some infections, and in rare cases will incorrectly indicate infections. A popular test will miss about 15 out of 100 infections-these are called "false negatives"-and about 1 out of 100 uninfected people will have a false positive result.

Many factors affect the effectiveness of the test, including the time and type of test. She recommends that those who have persistent symptoms and are known to have been exposed and received a negative test continue to be quarantined and monitored, and have another test within a few days, or contact their healthcare provider for further guidance.

"So if someone has symptoms and the test result is negative, then it depends on the severity, right? If you have severe symptoms, we don't want you to only conduct home testing," she said. "We want you to call your doctor's office to make sure they have opinions here, because of course there are other things, such as flu, that can mimic symptoms or have similar symptoms. But if you have symptoms, they're kind of gentle and swaying. If you don’t, your test results are negative. We hope you take precautions and retest within three to five days. That’s why most of these kits actually come with two tests."

"These tests need to be used with caution," Colbil, director of symptom testing at Indiana University's COVID-19 Medical Response Team and assistant professor at the IU School of Medicine, told NBC News. "If you have high-risk exposure and/or have symptoms and your test result is negative, it is still worthwhile to have a formal test in a hospital laboratory."

You can buy test kits in pharmacies without a prescription. The price of a two-time test kit is usually about $25. Include swab, test solution, and instructions.

Adults and teenagers can test themselves. Adults can test children as young as 2 years old. The operation video on the product website may be helpful.

Most tests need to wipe about half an inch in both nostrils, so it may be itchy but not painful. If the test detects viral proteins in your sample, you will get a positive result.

The longest available test is the BinaxNow test, which can be purchased at major stores such as Walmart, Walgreens, and Target. However, according to the FDA, there are currently nearly 12 over-the-counter tests authorized to test results at home.

Recently, the agency granted Celltrion DiaTrust COVID-19 Ag Home Test emergency use authorization.

According to the FDA, the test can be used by people with symptoms of COVID-19 and does not require a prescription. It can also be used for continuous testing by people without symptoms, which means that the test is performed twice in three days.

Top Chicago doctors say that the antigen home COVID test is both accurate and convenient.

“Especially if your child or you, you know, have symptoms, this is a very, very good test,” said Dr. Alison Awadi, Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health in a Facebook live broadcast in August. "If you have no symptoms, it is still a good test. And you can take it home and get the results within 15 minutes. It's like a pregnancy test-you can see it right away."

Arwady specifically refers to the BinaxNow test.

Andrea F. Wainer, executive vice president of Abbott’s rapid and molecular diagnostics business, said in a statement: “BinaxNOW self-testing opens the door for Americans to buy accurate and affordable The test started." At that time. "Together with like-minded partners such as Vaccines and Walgreens, we can help people re-do what they love to do - like spending time with friends and family."

In March of this year, the FDA granted Abbott Laboratories emergency use authorization for rapid home, over-the-counter, and over-the-counter use of COVID-19 for the first time.

Customers can use a short nasal swab to perform the test on their own and check the test results within 15 minutes.

According to the manufacturer's instructions, the person who uses this test should perform two tests with at least 36 hours between the two tests. This test can be used for children as young as 2 years old (when the sample is collected by an adult) and all people 15 years of age or older.

“If someone does have symptoms and you are not sure, you may still need to stay home and/or undergo PCR testing, but I highly recommend those home COVID testing,” Arwady said. "They are approved for use in children, you know, they are very young, they are self-managed, and I think it is very helpful to have them used at home, so if someone has symptoms, you won't run around looking for testing them at that time. "

However, officials urged individuals who tested negative to continue to exercise caution.

Those who test positive are required to follow the latest CDC guidelines and communicate the results to your healthcare provider, who is responsible for reporting your test results to the state health department.

Arwady said before that this process is unlikely to happen in every test.

"In fact, none of these negative effects have been reported," Arwady said. "We did not calculate, you know, this is a fictitious story that we have calculated every COVID test."

She added that although many home tests are not reported, positive results may be provided to health care providers and then to the health department.

Home collection testing involves taking a sample from your home and sending it to the laboratory for results.

At-home testing allows results to be obtained from samples, and results can be obtained within minutes.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an alert in early October that some household COVID-19 tests produced by Ellume may have false positive results.

The tests are sold at different retailers across the country.

The company wrote in a statement: "In recent weeks, we have noticed an increase in the likelihood that Ellume COVID-19 home tests from specific batches may provide incorrect positive results."

The company also stated that “the reliability of negative results is not affected by this issue and is not included in the scope of this recall.”

It is said that manufacturing problems are the cause of the problem. The affected test kits are being removed from store shelves.

The FDA recommends contacting your healthcare provider, emergency care facility, or other COVID-19 testing site. If you test positive for one of the affected batches in the Ellume COVID-19 home test, request a COVID-19 molecule The diagnostic test has been in the past two weeks and no follow-up molecular diagnostic test has been performed to confirm a positive test result.

But according to the FDA, "all tests may have false negative and false positive results."

The agency said in a press release: “Individuals who test positive should self-isolate and seek additional care from a healthcare provider.” “Individuals who test negative and have symptoms similar to COVID should follow up with their healthcare provider, Because a negative result does not rule out COVID-19 infection."

It is not clear whether vaccination status plays a role in the effectiveness of the test.

Rajagopal said that there is currently no data available to answer this question, but he pointed out that regardless of the status of the vaccination, false positives and false negatives can happen to anyone.

"We will double check everyone with a rapid test before the party," said Dr. Emily Volk, Dean of the American College of Pathologists, who is planning to have a holiday dinner with six vaccinated family members. "We will do this when they enter the door."