US OKs 1st coronavirus test that allows self-swab at home

[JudyM]

Source: AP

U.S. health regulators on Tuesday OK’d the first coronavirus test that allows people to collect their own sample at home, a new approach that could help expand testing options in most states.

The test from LabCorp will initially only be available to health care workers and first responders under a doctor’s orders. The sample will still have to be shipped for processing back to LabCorp, which operates diagnostic labs throughout the U.S.
...
For the home test, people are initially screened with an online questionnaire. If authorized by a physician, LabCorp will ship a testing kit to their home. The kit includes cotton swabs, a collection tube, an insulated pouch and box to ship the specimen back to LabCorp. To take a sample, a cotton swab is swirled in each nostril. The test results are posted online to a secure company website.

The company said it will make the test available in the coming weeks. Each kit will cost $119. The kits will not be available in Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island. Those states have laws prohibiting testing with at-home kits.


Read more: https://apnews.com/06a32bbec3d820870de9f34fc367d628

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Some progress...

[richdj25]

1. I live in Maryland, so the home test

won't be available to the likes of me, but am not disappointed, because the test can be flawed and the cost doesn't help those who simply can't afford it. $119 is groceries or a bill payment for many.

[IronLionZion]

2. If people can be trusted to do it correctly

the current COVID-19 test swabs (and flu) require the swab to go all the way to the back, which is a very unsettling thing to experience from a qualified professional, let alone try to do it yourself.

[eggplant]

4. "You will feel a slight discomfort while we describe the procedure."

"We need to take a sample from the the back of your skull through your nose..."

[JudyM]

5. To boldly go where no(one) has gone before.

[Sir Normie]

8. Well, at least Porn Stars should have no problems

[IronLionZion]

9. Through the nose

[Maribelle]

10. Pixel by LabCorp

The FDA authorized the first at-home collection molecular test, called Pixel by LabCorp, on April 20. The test kits contain supplies to collect samples, including a nasal swab which you send back to the lab for testing. Unlike other swab-based tests, Pixel uses swabs that only need to go as far as the nostril, instead of deeper into the nasal passage. A study led by the United Health Group suggests that results from self-collected testing are similar in accuracy to provider-collected testing.

[link:https://www.goodrx.com/blog/coronavirus-covid-19-testing-updates-methods-cost-availability/#home-test|

[IronLionZion]

11. That's good

[BComplex]

3. $119? Are you fucking kidding me?

Someone is making a pretty penny off this.

[Maribelle]

7. We need to find out if our insurance will cover it.

My insurance covers all my tests at Quest Diagnostics and covers the home test for Colo-rectal Cancer Screening.

[JohnnyRingo]

6. They shove that swab all the way to your brain.

Feels that way anyhow. I don't think anyone could do it to themselves so a sadistic family member would be needed. Being married a plus!

[Glimmer of Hope]

12. I had the test done today and can't imagine torturing

myself like that. Ouch.