Delivering test kits to Seattle homes

[bigdeals.etc]

So I hear on the news that a certain company that is known for their quick 2 day delivery is helping residents in Seattle delivering and picking up at home test kits for the virus. Aside from helping out the country, that is GREAT publicity to get any new people to join in on their primary business.

Just sayin...

[nobody*s_perfect]

Oh great, they're picking up packages from the households that are most likely to be infected, putting those on their trucks and then using those same trucks and hands to deliver everybody else's packages.

Also, last thing I read said that the at-home tests haven't been approved. Has that changed?

Personal testing in an area that is already a hot spot (virus is not able to be contained)  is not helping the country.

[bigdeals.etc]

Not commenting on the test kits themselves, but I doubt they will pick up and drop off using the same trucks... not really sure of the logistics. I would hope it’s a different process from delivering general packages.

[reallynicestamps]

Since the test apparently means sticking a five inch swab up your nose into your sinuses, I really doubt any of the negative results should be trusted.

As likely that the swab didn't reach the right part of the nasal cavity.

My pharmacy is only giving one month supplies of prescribed meds today, and in the lab that does the blood tests (which is conveniently next door) the technicians were all completely gloved, masked and gowned.

[andrew547]

There are no home Coronavirus test kits. They don't exist, and if they do, they're scams.

If you doubt me, ask the FDA, which has approved zero Coronavirus home test kits.

I suspect publicity for delivering unapproved medical tests would not be particularly "good".

[loveyourimagination49]

They showed on our news the at home tests during their Scam segment.

[southern*sweet*tea]

ScAmazon...'nuff said

[chapeau-noir]

GENERAL POST

Our local (Seattle area) daily has a paywall, so here's basically the article from Techcrunch.  This is in conjunction with the Bill Gates Foundation and is in an area where major testing of vaccines is taking place (Seattle, which is a research hub). It's an experiment, and I've read in other sources that it's 500 kits.

https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/23/amazon-care-to-provide-delivery-and-pick-up-of-at-home-covid-19-te...

Amazon is going to be working with a new research initiative backed in part by the Gates Foundation that will distribute at-home coronavirus assessment kits, and then deliver the collected samples to FDA-approved test facilities. Amazon Care, the health arm formed by Amazon initially for internal employee care, will be handling the delivery of the kits, as well as transportation of collected samples to the test labs, as first reported by CNBC.

While the FDA updated its guidance just a few days ago to specifically exclude at-home testing from the Emergency Use Authorization that is in place to enable broadened private lab testing of potential COVID-19 cases, the arrangement with the Seattle Coronavirus Assessment Network (SCAN) and Amazon Care bypasses use of the traditional mail or package delivery network. The Amazon Care drivers who are doing the test kit drop-offs and deliveries are specifically trained in proper handling of sensitive medical materials, and the SCAN project is for a limited research endeavor undertaken in order to help “understand how coronavirus is spreading in the Greater Seattle area.”

Availability of kits will be limited, but will include the kind of swab testing that is being conducted at drive-through testing facilities in the U.S. Should a sample test positive for COVID-19, the person who provided the sample to SCAN will be contacted by a healthcare worker for next steps, including advice on how to seek treatment and prevent transmission.

SCAN is the result of a partnership by Seattle & King County’s Public Health department, as well as a team of hospitals and health organizations that created the Seattle Flu Study, a similar project meant to study the spread of the traditional seasonal flu within the community. The research and data modeling work done for that study have been adapted to the study of COVID-19, and the flu study has been put on hold while researchers focus on the pandemic instead.

[chapeau-noir]

This is the same swab testing that I had when I was tested in a drive-through testing station.

[chapeau-noir]

And it was absolutely NO big deal - any responsible adult, particularly one chosen for a study like this, can manage this very small inconvenience.

[lisa5768]

This is part of a RESEARCH PROJECT to get a more accurate assessment as to the infection rate in the Seattle area. Not a home testing kit available to the public. Amazon Care (their employee health network) is providing the logistics to deliver and pick up the kits.

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/23/amazon-delivers-coronavirus-test-kits-for-scan-a-gates-backed-effort...

[gracieallen01]

Just curious, but why would anyone be delivering test packages to already infected/suspected homes?

[lightlily_arts]

There  are no tests Kits

Ignore online offers for vaccinations and home test kits. There currently are no vaccines, pills, potions, lotions, lozenges or other prescription or over-the-counter products available to treat or cure Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) — online or in stores. At this time, there also are no FDA-authorized home test kits for the Coronavirus. Visit the FDA to learn more.

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/coronavirus-scams-what-ftc-doing

[chapeau-noir]

Does no one understand the meaning of 'initial study' and 'testing sample'?  This is NOT released to the general public. Amazon is not selling test kits.  This has nothing to do with the Red Cross scam.  No salesman will come to your home.  Any testing, ANY TESTING is done with qualified personnel and done on a selective sample - they need results.  A test kit that can be done IN the home reduces the chance of infection spread by localising it. Fred Hutch, the UW with other organizations actively researching this virus are developing this.

It. is. a. small. test. sample.