The FDA has authorized several COVID-19 tests to take saliva samples from home, followed by a remote consultation with health professionals.
For some years now, digital health service companies in the US have been offering online lab testing through more than 30 different kits, including fertility, metabolism, HIV, Hepatitis C, among others. The patient receives their collection kit, and sends their sample to be analyzed by specialists and then receive their results and consult them online.
In this way, laboratory and digital health service companies began developing test kits for sampling from home, specifically for COVID-19.
It was in April when the FDA authorized to a clinical laboratory company to market the first home sample collection tests for the COVID-1, using swabs, and then sent the sample for analysis. However, a month later, the FDA again approved the use and marketing of home-collected tests from three companies, which use different and tools, such as a device specially designed to take saliva samples.
Self-collecting samples for COVID-19 follows a process similar to any other test of samples taken at home. After sample collection, it is sent to a lab. After being analyzed the patient can view their results online and receive recommendations for specific care. The cost of the test is around 150 of which 50 correspond to the express shipping of the sample. express of the sample.
“Authorizing additional diagnostic tests with the option of at-home sample collection will continue to increase patient access to testing for COVID-19. This provides an additional option for the easy, safe and convenient collection of samples required for testing without traveling to a doctor’s office, hospital or testing site”, said FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen M. Hahn.
Moreover, in the UK a Digital Health company offers COVID-19 antibody tests at an affordable price, these tests do not require the support of health professionals to be used, they are performed from home, to then send them and get the analysis.
The important point of constant monitoring of new cases of COVID-19 from home is that patients can share information about their symptoms, demographic data, their test history in case more than one is done, and thus contribute to valuable information for research on this disease.
It is known that most cases suffer from mild symptoms and do not require hospitalization or specific treatment, which is why it is also necessary to research how the disease works in patients with mild symptoms, not only in patients who developed severe cases.
MOBIHEALTH NEWS
