ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - A local health expert has some words of caution about new at-home COVID-19 tests that have recently been approved by the FDA.
"It's incredibly helpful if it's positive. In other words, if you have a positive test from this then you likely do have coronavirus and you should start to follow the same protocols as anyone else who is positive," says SLU Care general internist Dr. Fred Buckhold at SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital.
Related
But if the test comes back negative he says, "you still might have the coronavirus and still need to follow the right safety precautions."
The over-the-counter kit from Australia-based Ellume is $30 and will be available is stores around the country after the first of the new year. It is the first home test that requires no prescription and includes a nasal swab and digital analyzer that connects to a smartphone app via Bluetooth.
Results can be delivered in as little as 20 minutes.
While they do a good job identifying if you have COVID-19, we still need to be cautious about those negative results, Buckhold says.
Health experts have often cautioned that a negative test result should not be used as permission to travel or socialize, as a negative result on one day does not mean that you will stay negative the next day. Health officials say the safest way to ensure that you do not transmit COVID-19 to others is to quarantine.
© 2020 KMOX (Entercom). All rights reserved