The FDA approves emergency use for the first at-home self-test for COVID-19 that provides results in 30 minutes. Assistant for Translational Research at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine Dr. Lucio Miele said the self-test uses a molecular amplification of technology to detect the virus but what is important is when you perform the test.
“If you run it too early after an exposure, you are going to get a false-negative no matter how good the test is, you have to run it at the right time. The smart way to monitor one’s self is to be tested several times every few days really literally,” said Miele.
Miele said while the at-home test is another tool in the fight against the coronavirus it’s not the end all be all because it only detects one gene in the virus.
“We’re going to have to very carefully monitor the mutation rate of the virus and the sequence of the viral genome to see whether or not the site that is detected by this particular test changes in any way,” said Miele.
The test requires a prescription from a physician and as for reporting results to track outbreaks…
“The patient informs the prescribing physician that they tested positive and the physician then informs the state department of health, which is mandatory for the test, incidentally, said Miele.
The self-test kit includes a sterile swab for the nasal test, a sample vial, test unit, batteries, and a plastic bag.
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