The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the first at-home testing kit that can determine whether you’ve contracted COVID-19.
The testing kit comes from LabCorp, which plans on selling the product to US consumers in the coming weeks for $119. “With this action, there is now a convenient and reliable option for patient sample collection from the comfort and safety of their home,” FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said in the announcement.
LabCorp’s Pixel testing kit works by using a cotton swab to collect a biological sample from the nose. Many current COVID-19 screenings require a trained healthcare worker to administer them. But with the Pixel test, you can collect the sample yourself by simply swabbing the outer edges of your nostrils. (No need to dive in deep.)
“Once patients self-swab to collect their nasal sample, they mail their sample, in an insulated package, to a LabCorp lab for testing,” the FDA added. “LabCorp intends to make the Pixel by LabCorp COVID-19 Test home collection kits available to consumers in most states, with a doctor’s order.”
The company says the testing kits are currently limited in supply. So for now, the tests will only be made available to healthcare workers and first responders via the company’s website. LabCorp adds that it can ship the test to and from purchasers overnight.
In the meantime, the FDA says it’s engaging with more than 350 testing developers on new ways to screen for the virus. So expect more at-home testing solutions to arrive in the future, pending FDA authorization.
Why LabCorp’s test secured approval is apparently due to the company’s custom cotton swab. The FDA is currently refraining from using conventional cotton swabs to collect nasal samples “due to concerns with sterility and cross-reactivity,” the agency said. “The FDA continues to work with test developers to determine whether or not Q-tip-style cotton swab can be used safely and effectively with other tests,” it added.
Further Reading
- Microsoft's Plasma Bot Recruits Recovered COVID-19 Patients for Blood Donations
- Amazon Starts Using Thermal Cameras to Detect Coronavirus Fever
- Apple Teaches You How to Make a Face Shield
- UK Coronavirus Prediction Models Raise Privacy Concerns
- More in Health & Fitness