The BinaxNOW rapid antigen COVID-19 test had a sensitivity of 87% in symptomatic and 71% asymptomatic individuals when performed by health care workers in a high-throughput setting. The performance may expedite isolation decisions or referrals for time-sensitive monoclonal antibody treatment in communities where timely COVID PCR tests are unavailable.

The BinaxNOW rapid antigen COVID-19 test had a sensitivity of nearly 92% in both symptomatic and asymptomatic children when performed at a high-throughput setting during the more transmissible delta variant dominant period. The test may play an invaluable role in asymptomatic screening and keeping children safe in school.

INTRODUCTION E-cigarette advertising may benefit young adult cigarette smokers in transitioning to using e-cigarettes. We assessed whether e-cigarette advertising exposure was associated with subsequent e-cigarette use among young adult cigarette smokers. METHODS Data were from Waves 4 (2016–2018) and 5 (2018–2019) of the nationally-representative Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study adult survey. Respondents were young adult established cigarette smokers at Wave 4 (18–34 years; n=3,391) and a sub-sample of those who tried to quit smoking cigarettes completely in the past year at Wave 5 (n=1,235). Multivariable logistic regressions were used to examine the associations between e-cigarette advertising exposure (by channel of exposure) and subsequent past-year e-cigarette use in general and e-cigarette use to quit smoking cigarettes, controlling for covariates. RESULTS At Wave 5, 43.4% of smokers reported past-year use of e-cigarettes; and 14.8% of smokers who tried to completely quit smoking reported past-year use of e-cigarettes to quit. E-cigarette advertising exposure was associated with subsequent past-year e-cigarette use (AOR=1.53, p<0.0001, 95% CI=1.27, 1.86) and past-year use to quit smoking cigarettes (AOR=1.65, p<0.01, 95% CI=1.19, 2.29). Advertising exposure through brick-and-mortar stores or websites/social media was similarly associated with both e-cigarette use behaviors. DISCUSSION Exposure to e-cigarette advertising among U.S. young adult established cigarette smokers may be associated with subsequent e-cigarette use and use to quit smoking. More research is needed to understand the features of e-cigarette advertising (e.g., discounts, flavors, smoker-targeted claims) that may shape perception and behavior related to e-cigarette use among young adult smokers. Implications Little is known about the associations between e-cigarette advertising exposure and e-cigarette use among young adult cigarette smokers who may benefit from switching to e-cigarettes. This study found that e-cigarette advertising exposure was positively associated with (1) subsequent e-cigarette use among U.S. young adult established cigarette smokers and (2) subsequent e-cigarette use to quit smoking cigarettes among those who tried to completely quit in the past year. These observed associations were driven by smokers who did not currently use e-cigarettes at baseline. E-cigarette advertising exposure through brick-and-mortar stores or websites/social media was also positively associated with subsequent e-cigarette use behaviors.

Rapid antigen tests are widely used to diagnose infection with SARS-CoV-2, and millions of kits have been distributed for free by government agencies. However, unused and expired kits beyond their final expiration dates remain prevalent in people's homes. This study aimed to determine the accuracy of expired BinaxNOW COVID rapid antigen test kits. 100 expired and 100 unexpired test kits were checked for sensitivity and specificity using positive and negative controls, respectively. The results showed that there was no change in the sensitivity and specificity of BinaxNOW COVID rapid antigen test kits four months beyond the manufacturer-extended expiration date when using manufacturer-provided positive controls. The findings provide confidence in the accuracy of expired test kits, which could potentially reduce waste and strengthen supply chain resilience for pandemic preparedness. Further research utilizing actual human specimens can help determine the true accuracy of expired rapid antigen test kits in clinical use.

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