First At-Home Coronavirus Tests To Be Made Available By March 23

EverlyWell, a US-based company, launched a $1 million initiative last month in order to create tests for COVID-19. And now they have announced that they will have an at-home coronavirus (COVID-19) test for consumers, available by Monday, March 23, making them the first to distribute such tests directly to consumers.

So, if someone, experiencing symptoms of the virus, wants to avail of the test they can request for it online by completing a screening questionnaire and after a chat with a telehealth physician from PWNHealth. Based on guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), the physician will review the request to rule out the chances of the user suffering from other respiratory diseases.

And if your symptoms appear to be credible and your request is hence approved, you can purchase the coronavirus test online for $135 on Everlywell’s website. The test, complete with everything needed to collect a sample at home, will then be shipped to you and after you have collected the sample, it will be shipped FDA-approved laboratory.

“Everlywell has reached out to government officials and public health departments to see if the test can be made available for free,” said the company in a statement. “Samples will be shipped to partner labs with overnight delivery, secure digital results will be available online within 48 hours of the lab receiving the sample, and free telehealth consultations with an independent, board-certified physician will be available for those with positive results.”

In the coming weeks, Everlywell plans to produce more COVId-19 tests apart from the 30,000 it is ready to ship.

“Given the high demand for testing, the company will work rapidly to make more tests available as the global supply shortage for COVID-19 diagnostic kits is addressed,” Everlywell said. “We are committed to doing everything we can to help stop the spread of coronavirus.”

As of now, Everlywell’s tests only contain a single swab but they are planning to expand them to turn them into household kits with multiple swabs.

“Our goal is to continue to refresh capacity but with the global swab shortage, we don’t have a confirmed timeline for that yet,” said Everlywell CEO and founder Julia Cheek.