On Friday, singer-actress Erykah Badu, sometimes referred to as the Queen of Neo soul, expressed her frustration after taking rapid tests for the coronavirus (required for her to take part in a current production) and finding the results indicated that her left nostril had tested positive for the virus but her right nostril had tested negative.
She tweeted, “No symptoms. Was tested for COVID. Same machine. Left nostril positive . Right nostril negative. Maybe they need to call Swiss Beats so they can do a versus between them. Funny thing is , Dr. ONLY reported the positive result. What the fack is goin on here. Rapid Test. $$$$ smh.”
No symptoms. Was tested for COVID. Same machine. Left nostril positive . Right nostril negative. Maybe they need to call Swiss Beats so they can do a versus between them. Funny thing is , Dr. ONLY reported the positive result. What the fack is goin on here. Rapid Test. $$$$ smh.
— ErykahBadoula (@fatbellybella) November 13, 2020
She followed with a picture of the results:
— ErykahBadoula (@fatbellybella) November 13, 2020
Roughly five hours after her first tweet about the test, Badu gave an update: “This is my third rapid test in 24 hours. SMH. It’s routine to take c19 test before a livestream broadcast for all band and crew. Earlier I took 2 and one was positive the other neg in separate nostrils ?? We need to investigate these tests further. I want my $ back.”
This is my third rapid test in 24 hours. SMH. It’s routine to take c19 test before a livestream broadcast for all band and crew. Earlier I took 2 and one was positive the other neg in separate nostrils ?? We need to investigate these tests further. I want my $ back . pic.twitter.com/AFIfX9Kg1q
— ErykahBadoula (@fatbellybella) November 13, 2020
She added, “What an inconvenience to be tested positive then negative 3x after within 24 hours. Same test. We understand that they aren’t 100% accurate but this is strange.”
What an inconvenience to be tested positive then negative 3x after within 24 hours. Same test . We understand that they aren’t 100% accurate but this is strange.
— ErykahBadoula (@fatbellybella) November 13, 2020
The FDA stated earlier this month:
There are two different types of tests – diagnostic tests and antibody tests.
- A diagnostic test can show if you have an active coronavirus infection and should take steps to quarantine or isolate yourself from others. Currently there are two types of diagnostic tests– molecular tests, such as RT-PCR tests, that detect the virus’s genetic material, and antigen tests that detect specific proteins from the virus.
- An antibody test looks for antibodies that are made by your immune system in response to a threat, such as a specific virus. Antibodies can help fight infections. Antibodies can take several days or weeks to develop after you have an infection and may stay in your blood for several weeks or more after recovery. Because of this, antibody tests should not be used to diagnose COVID-19. At this time researchers do not know if the presence of antibodies means that you are immune to COVID-19 in the future.
More from the FDA:
- Rapid, point-of-care diagnostic tests use a mucus sample from the nose or throat but can be analyzed at the doctor’s office or clinic where the sample is collected and results may be available in minutes. These may be molecular or antigen tests.
- Combination tests can test for the flu and the coronavirus at the same time. Some can test for many different types of respiratory viruses, including the one that causes COVID-19.
- At-home collection tests, available only by prescription from a doctor, allow the patient to collect the sample at home and send it directly to the lab for analysis. Some at-home collection tests have a health care provider oversee the sample collection by video with the patient.
- Saliva tests allow a patient to spit into a tube rather than get their nose or throat swabbed. Saliva tests may be more comfortable for some people and may be safer for health care workers who can be farther away during the sample collection.