It’s been over a year since the pandemic broke out, and I’m finally able to test myself at home.

Home COVID-19 testing is currently sold at local pharmacies.

You may feel that quick home testing is available a year late, but experts say that if it works, this kind of testing will eventually be an important tool for ending the pandemic. Says that there is a possibility of becoming.

The presence of molecules on the surface of the COVID-19 virus can be quickly detected, as it is called the rapid antigen test.Recently made home version by Abbott, Quidel and Elm On the market.. This small Cambridge-based startup, E25Bio, has a pending application with the US Food and Drug Administration and hopes to join these ranks soon.

Rapid antigen testing is cheaper and easier to use than PCR testing, which is the gold standard for detecting COVID-19 because it is the most accurate. However, PCR tests need to be analyzed in a laboratory where genetic material can be extracted from the sample to detect the presence of the virus. Results may come back after a few days.

The FDA has acted slowly and cautiously as it is considering a faster home antigen test.

“Not issuing these tests to the country and not approving them in a timely manner is one of the most detrimental decisions we have made as a country, one of the most important tools we have not deployed, and in fact. It’s not yet deployed — in a way that prevents such spread, ”said Michael Mina, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Harvard’s School of Public Health, who has voiced rapid inspections.

According to Mina, the FDA took longer to approve the rapid antigen test because of concerns that it was less accurate than the PCR test. False negatives can cause someone to accidentally expose another person.

But last month, the FDA changed course and approved a home test with a new warning aimed at raising the level of accuracy from PCR tests to expected standards. They call it a “serial test”, which simply means that people should take the test several times before they are confident in the results. Therefore, each box of newly approved home products comes with at least two tests.

Zoe McLaren, a health economist and associate professor of public policy at the university, said: In Baltimore County, Maryland.

One exception is the Ellume rapid antigen test. This was accurate enough to obtain FDA approval without the requirement for continuous inspection. The test became available on CVS on April 19th.

The FDA’s decision on home use of the E25 Bio test may be made at any time, and approval will be a major achievement for this small company.

E25Bio was launched in 2018 by scientists at Harvard University and MIT and has less than 10 full-time employees. Nonetheless, the company’s CEO, Prashant Chouta, immediately began creating one million tests a day using consignment manufacturing facilities around the world once the tests were approved. He said he could scale up to 2 million within a month.

Antigen testing usually consists of a cotton swab, a small plastic vial filled with liquid, and a piece of paper that is approximately the size of a gum stick. The user wipes the inside of each nostril, puts the swab in a vial of solution, and squeezes a few drops into the test device. In 10 to 15 minutes, let someone know if you have COVID-19.

“It’s very small, very, very, very, very simple,” said Chouta, in his company version, where people sync with their smartphone app and with healthcare providers and others who want to be notified. He said he could share the results. “When people put in a sample, the piece of paper has some complex reactions.”

More than a year has passed since the pandemic occurred, and early access to such convenient and rapid testing is invaluable, especially to reduce the spread of the virus, before vaccines are available. It is clear that it was there. But McLaren said it’s never too late for them to be useful now, especially since some people aren’t vaccinated.

“For example, our children haven’t been vaccinated yet,” she said. “I hope to get the licensed vaccine in the next few months, but I don’t know when it will happen, and how long will it take to increase vaccinations for my children?” I do not know.”

Regular home tests can prevent outbreaks when school reopens, McLaren said. They may also be effective as people start participating in big events again.

“I can imagine entering a packed concert hall. You have to show that you are already fully vaccinated or agree to do a rapid antigen test, which was a negative test. Only allowed if, “she said. “This allowed everyone to have access to the concert hall, while keeping everyone as safe as possible.”

McLaren also took advantage of the option to quickly detect new infections, as the vaccine has so far succeeded in reducing the spread of COVID-19, but the virus continues to mutate rapidly into new variants. It is important to be able to do it.

She said a national public education campaign was needed to make it clear to people that these newly available tests were accurate and important.

“Demand is much lower than it should be. Everyone should want it,” McLaren said. “But some people like,’Yeah, I’ll wait and see. I don’t know if I can trust it.'”

One of the potential concerns raised by moving the COVID-19 test to the privacy of people’s homes is the ability of governments and public health authorities to track new cases and outbreaks if people do not report new infections. You can lose it. Mina said she wasn’t worried about it.

“If someone didn’t want to report the results, they probably didn’t want to go out and spend money and get a PCR test anyway,” Mina said. There are some people who are reporting the results. This can be far more public health data than getting a complete report of a few PCR-based tests. “

The cost of home inspection can be a barrier for some people. Abbott has priced the test for $ 23.99 in two boxes, and the two Quidel tests are available for purchase for $ 29.95. A single Ellume test sells for $ 38.99. E25Bio says it wants to offer tests for less than $ 10 each.

“Now it has a price tag, so it’s a barrier for the poorest Americans, or even just the less wealthy,” Mina said. “Few people would want to spend such money on a regular basis. Still, wealthy and wealthy people can be tested to find out if their children are infected with COVID and the poor. It’s creating a barrier that can be done, it’s not, and it’s still a big tragedy. “

Mina said the federal government should intervene to make the test more accessible, perhaps by implementing a voucher program.

The federal government is currently testing whether free distribution of rapid antigen testing is an effective tool to reduce the spread of COVID-19.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Institutes of Health have started Distribute the test A similar program was launched this week in Hamilton County, Tennessee, for residents of Pitt County, North Carolina, in March.

“Combined with efforts to increase vaccination, this important initiative will help us understand how best to use these new home tests to reduce virus infection rates in the community.” And CDC director Rochelle Walensky Press release Announce the program.

At the state level, Massachusetts officials say the state has no plans to purchase or distribute a rapid antigen test for residents to use at home. The state has invested in making PCR tests available free of charge in approximately 35 locations within the state, distributing self-managed PCR tests to state agencies and school districts and sending them to laboratories for analysis. I will.

“These tests are incredibly powerful,” McLaren said. “And if we were investing in these early on, we would be in a completely different situation.”