This is excellent news. It has been amazing to watch how quickly we’ve made advances when it comes to testing, not just availability but portability and speed with results. It’s horrible what we’ve been through but extraordinary to see just how impressive our scientific community really is.
The FDA has given emergency authorization to the first coronavirus test that allows people to collect their own samples at home, using a nasal swab, before mailing them off to a lab for analysis.
The test, made by LabCorp, could help cut down on the amount of personal protective equipment health providers are using while collecting patient samples for testing.
The company said its at-home collection kits will initially be used for health care workers and first responders who may have been exposed to the virus or have symptoms.
LabCorp plans to make the kits, which require the patient fill out a questionnaire and obtain a recommendation from a health care provider, more broadly available in the coming weeks. It is unclear how many kits LabCorp is immediately distributing or can manufacture moving forward.
