FDA approves at-home COVID-19 test

LAKE MARY, Fla. - At home COVID-19 testing has gotten the greenlight from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“Really the only way that we’re going to be able to track down this virus is to test as many people as possible,” Dr. David Kuhn of Trinity Clinic in Ocala said.

Major medical testing company, LabCorp, will be distributing them. The test is a nasal swab.

Dr. David Kuhn of Trinity Clinic in Ocala said the only way to beat the coronavirus is by testing.

“When we get someone that swab and they are positive, then of course, we want to isolate them first, but then we want to go back in time two or three weeks and try to figure out everybody that they were in close contact with and get those people tested, too,” Dr. Kuhn said.

People can get COVID-19 tests from their healthcare provider after answering a questionnaire.

LabCorp making the at home test available to health care workers and first responders first so they can prevent the risk of spreading the virus.

People FOX 35 News spoke with said this testing will be a big step in the right direction.

“I absolutely think it’s a good way,” Gregory Parks of Clermont said. “It’s convenient and it’s just another test we can do at home.”

Dr. Kuhn believes at home testing will help, but does have concerns.

“If a doctor’s doing it, we mess up to a quarter of them when we’re swabbing,” Dr. Kuhn said. “So, I can only imagine a person doing it themselves, you know. They’re not going to stick it in far enough. They don’t leave it in far enough. Things like that... Time will tell as they study this, as they expand this option for doing testing at home.”

LabCorp said at home testing will be made available to the public in the coming weeks.