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My boyfriend had a sore throat and took an at home covid test. It only took about 6 seconds to give a positive result. This seemed weird to me since it was supposed to take around 15 minutes. He also said that he bought it back in May, which means it's about 8 months old. Is it worth going to a pharmacy to get another test done, or is this one trustworthy?
Sore throat is very consistent with infection with the Omicron variant of the virus. The rapid at-home antigen test being positive within seconds rather than minutes is likely due to a large amount of viral antigen present in the specimen. I do not have any questions about the validity of the test nor concerns for the test being 8 months old. Your boyfriend should immediately isolate and wear a well-fitting face mask when with others, even in the home. Since I assume you have been exposed to your boyfriend, you should quarantine yourself and seek testing.
Here is the CDC Isolation and Quarantine guideline.
