SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — The surge in coronavirus cases thanks to the omicron variant has many people testing themselves, but testing for COVID-19 can still be confusing for people who are able to get their hands on at-home rapid tests.

Nadia Elhoussami says these days she spends most of her time swabbing noses and testing patients for COVID-19 at Kanan Medical’s Altamonte Springs office.  She says she began working at doctor’s offices when she was 13, which gave her years of experience that prepared her for the rush of COVID testing she’s now having to manage.

What You Need To Know

  • Infectious disease experts say there’s evidence that shows omicron presents itself more at first in the throat than in the nose

  • The U.S. Food and Drug Administration admits at-home tests are picking up on omicron cases with less sensitivity, and says it’s now looking into whether throat swabbing is may be more effective

  • But for now, the FDA says you should stick to swabbing the nose

“And I think that all those years of work have prepared us for this," she said. "I think all of us went through, you know, everything we went through in life brought us to this point where we’re ready and we’re — this was what we were meant to do."

Elhoussami says responding to omicron has been a challenge. Infectious disease experts say there’s evidence that shows omicron presents itself more in the throat first than in the nose.

Elhoussami said she’s noticed a delay in some patients testing positive.

“So you might test negative and then three or four days later you test positive,” she said.

Officials with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration say at-home tests are picking up on omicron cases with less sensitivity and are now looking into whether throat swabbing is better.

But for now, FDA officials say you should stick to swabbing the nose.

That’s exactly what Elhoussami’s office is doing with all their testing, which remains steady.

“We had a huge boost in COVID, unfortunately, but it’s starting to tether down a bit now,” said Elhoussami.

And with her testing drive-thru located in some of the lanes of a bank drive-thru, that decrease is allowing for some people showing up to bank and then realizing they might have an opportunity to also get tested.

“They were waiting for the bank drive-thru and they pulled down their window and said, 'Hey, can I come over and get tested?' And I tell them to go ahead and make an appointment and we can get them in right away,” said Elhoussami.

The FDA and infectious disease experts say you shouldn’t try to swab your throat with tests designed to only nose swab because they say you could harm yourself.  The swabs in the at-home kits are only long enough to swab your nose and not the back of your throat.