Austin-based company to offer at-home COVID-19 testing collection kit, telehealth diagnosis

Tests would be available Monday, company says

(Everlywell)

SAN ANTONIO – Austin-based digital health company Everlywell announced it would start to offer the public an at-home collection kit with telehealth diagnosis for COVID-19 starting Monday.

The company said it plans to have testing and diagnosis capacity for 250,000 people weekly.

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Everlywell had announced it was offering a $1 million development incentive to any certified laboratories that fulfilled requirements set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the company to “prioritize development of a COVID-19 diagnostic test.”

The company said the positive response allowed it to build the at-home collection kit and diagnosis experience for COVID-19.

“Our team has been working around the clock with top scientists and laboratories in the nation to develop a test that we will make available at the lowest price possible while covering our costs, at no profit to the company. We have also reached out to government and public health officials to explore possibilities to provide it for free,” said Julia Cheek, founder and CEO of Everlywell, in a statement.

The company said the test can be requested online by people who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. It said the testing kit will be shipped to customers with everything needed to collect a sample at home and ship the sample to a certified lab.

Click here to learn more about the testing kit.

COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new virus, stands for coronavirus disease 2019. The disease first appeared in late 2019 in Wuhan, China, but spread around the world in early 2020, causing the World Health Organization to declare a pandemic in March.

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About the Author:

Ivan Herrera has worked as a journalist in San Antonio since 2016. His work for KSAT 12 and KSAT.com includes covering breaking news of the day, as well as producing Q&As and content for the "South Texas Pride" and "KSAT Money" series.