Kroger Health announced that it has plans to promote its home Covid-19 test, which will give you results "within seconds" thanks to the power of your smartphone. This would eliminate the need to go to a clinic or government testing location.
The test would likely be similar to the current Covid-19 antigen test, which requires users to collect a nasal swab. However, rather than relying on clinical equipment, users could scan the swab with their smartphones and use AI technology to analyze the rapid test and produce a positive or negative result.
Not only could this be one way to conduct mass testing across the country, but AI technology could also prevent misreading of the line indicated by the COVID-19 rapid antigen test.
Removing doubt about a positive or negative result should give people the confidence to self-isolate or continue with their daily lives without worrying about putting others at risk for coronavirus infection.
"According to the results of a clinical trial submitted to the FDA in support of the solution's EUA application, the testing solution demonstrated a 93% positive match rate and a 99% negative match rate compared to PCR tests that are highly sensitive and approved for emergency use," a Kroger Health the announcement explains.
However, while this sounds promising, an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) must be obtained from the FDA before Kroger Health's test can be deployed. Given the severity of a coronavirus pandemic, approval may be more expeditious than in a non-pandemic situation.
If FDA approval is granted, Kroger Health and its partner, Gauss, could immediately roll out 1.5 million test kits. And the company has "the capacity to manufacture up to 30 million test kits per month."
After approval, Kroger Health expects to sell the test kits online through its website and over-the-counter at 2,200 pharmacies across the United States
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