According to the verge report, domestic molecular covid-19 testing company detect announced , it is working with health care provider carbon health to make it easy for customers who test positive to receive antiviral treatment**
The "test to treat at home" project runs directly through the detect application, which connects people who test positive for covid-19 to carbon health. They can then set virtual or personal appointments based on their location. When making an appointment, healthcare providers can prescribe antiviral drugs such as paxlovid, which patients can take on the same day - a time-saving way for drugs that must be taken within five days of the onset of symptoms.
The program is based on the Biden administration's "test to treat" program, which enables people to obtain covid-19 tests and antiviral drugs in eligible federal health centers, pharmacies and long-term care institutions across the United States.
However, unlike the free federal program, the cooperation between detect and carbon health has costs - which may prevent it from being widely used. The cost of a detect center and one test is $85, and an additional $49 is required for each subsequent test. Many insurance companies pay for carbon health visits, but for uninsured people, virtual visits can cost as much as $69 and live visits as much as $195.
Nevertheless, this model can still be a way to provide antiviral drugs to more people. Although the supply of drugs like paxlovid has increased in the United States, they are still not widely used. Some people who qualify for the drug based on risk factors still have difficulty obtaining prescriptions, and the increasing use of home testing means that people test positive without contact with medical institutions.
Hugo Barra, CEO of detect, told the New York Times: "home testing has arrived and the supply of antiviral drugs has arrived. Now we just need to connect these points."
Creating more effective systems to encourage detection and link people to available care is an important tool to reduce the health burden of an ongoing pandemic. In the United States, covid-19 cases are on the rise as the Omicron variant with reduced infectivity and immunity spreads across the United States.