The ability to test for the COVID-19 virus within the comfort and safety of one’s home is now possible, thanks to a kit released by Carbon Health. The test kits are recommended for patients who feel sick and have been instructed by providers to stay at home, to limit potential exposure to vulnerable people around them, but who wish to be tested.
The tests are currently only available to patients located in California at a cost of $167.50, but Carbon Health is working to offer them nationwide, pending state regulations.
Carbon Health’s new kits are part of a unified global effort to increase the speed and availability of COVID-19 detection methods, which can usually only be performed in fixed locations with a wait of up to four days for results.
This COVID-19 testing method, developed in partnership with Curative Inc. and Alto Pharmacy, is completed in three major steps: The first is to sign up (for free) to Carbon Health and complete the Coronavirus Assessment Tool. Once the assessment has been completed, eligible patients will be referred for ordering and payment of the COVID-19 Home Test Kit through the app. The request will then be sent to Alto for order fulfillment and shipping.
Lastly, completed tests will be sent to Curative’s lab for analysis. Results will be reviewed by a Carbon Health clinician, who will inform patients of their status and provide additional guidance when needed.
The testing of the COVID-19 home test kit is validated and run in a CLIA-certified laboratory according to FDA and CDC guidance. The kits should hopefully decrease the strain on overburdened clinics as well as prevent non-infected people from exposing themselves to the virus by entering a clinic populated by affected patients.