Getting tested for COVID-19 is an important part of preventing the spread of the disease, but an uncomfortable nasal swab isn’t ideal over and over again.
Luckily, there are other options: like less-intrusive saliva tests. Plus, this one from Fever and Physician 360™ lets you collect samples right from the comfort of home, without having to wait on the long lines that have taken over the city!
So, what exactly is a saliva test…and how is it different from a nasal swab test?
According to the FDA, saliva tests “allow a patient to spit into a tube rather than get their nose or throat swabbed.” Currently, it provides an alternative method to a “diagnostic test,” which can show if you have an active coronavirus infection. Diagnostic tests include molecular tests, like RT-PCR tests, that “detect the virus’s genetic material,” and antigen tests, that “detect specific proteins from the virus.”
Our Fever/Physician 360 kit is a PCR test, which the FDA says are “typically highly accurate and usually do not need to be repeated.”
Some people find saliva tests much easier and more comfortable to perform — you don’t have to worry about nasal sensitivity, it can be safer because it doesn’t involve interacting closely with healthcare workers, etc. Just spit into a sanitized vial, instead of having a swab inserted up into your nose or down your throat!
For this COVID-19 home collection kit, you’ll have the kit mailed to you and after safely collecting your sample, will return it via overnight shipping (labels provided) to a professional lab.
Then, you should get your results within 24-48 hours after the kit is received.