Not sure about US kits, but 50% of people have symptoms in 5 days. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/mar/09/coronavirus-sufferers-symptom-free-for-five-days-on-average-study The asymptomatic infectious period exists but its length is unknown. False negatives are definitely an issue, especially if symptoms haven’t started. You need a certain viral load before getting a positive.
Right. Thank you much. We need to more closely understand the period between exposure and identification, and how it may vary with exposure location on the body, amount, and people's hygiene. What a crock to untangle. It goes without saying that increasing testing sensitivity would be beneficial. Can we do that? And can we use multiple testing methods to help decrease uncertainty? Obvz costs go up, though.