Cheap, frequent COVID tests could be 'akin to vaccine,' professor says

A Harvard epidemiologist and expert in disease testing is calling for a shift in strategy toward a cheap, daily, do-it-yourself test that he says can be as effective as a vaccine at interrupting coronavirus transmission - and is currently the only viable option for a quick return to an approximation of normal life.

Harvard epidemiologist Micheal Mina is advocating for a shift in strategy toward a cheap, daily, do-it-yourself coronavirus test that he says can be as effective as a vaccine at interrupting transmission. In addition to effectively slowing transmission, Mina believes that this is currently the only viable option for the country. Because these paper-strip tests have already been developed, their cheap and widespread manner are thought to be able to provide a safe way back into the workplace, classroom, and normal life as a whole. For this strategy to work, the federal government must first back it, and distribute hundreds of millions of tests to the general public within weeks, at a cost far less than repeated rounds of economic stimulus, according to Mina. Mina admits that these tests are not as accurate as current diagnostic tests, but still provide extreme value at detecting the virus and getting people who test positive to stay home. If everyone who tests positive stays home, the effect of these tests would mirror that of a vaccine.