E-commerce giant Walmart has now started selling the COVID-19 test kits. While many might have started scratching their heads, the kits have been designed so that they can be used at home. The kits are also available on Samsclub.com and Walmart.com and are known as the myLab Box test kits. They offer two different methods of collecting the samples. One is the nasal swab test and the other is the saliva test.
Lori Flees, SVP and COO at Walmart U.S. Health & Wellness in a statement said that offering the choice to the individuals allow them to select what kind of samples they would like to provide as per their convenience. If a customer wants a kit, they will have to purchase a code that will provide access to a health survey. After the survey is done then the order of the physician is generated if it is appropriate and the purchase is done. The testing kit is mailed to the customers, who collect the samples at home and is returned through mail to the lab. The customer will get the results within 24-48 hours after the samples are received at the lab.
There are also kits that have a telehealth call if the test results turn out to be positive. The price range of the kit ranges from $99 for a standard nasal swab to $125 for an express test with the help of a saliva sample. The myLab test kit has not been approved by the FDA but has been given emergency authorization so they can be used by authorized labs. So far it is no clear, if they would be acceptable by the insurance companies for reimbursements.
Meanwhile Pfizer has already started vaccinating the population in the United Kingdom. A 90 year old lady named Margaret Keenan has become the first person to receive the first Pfizer jab in the world outside the trial.
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