On December 3 Walmart and Sam’s Club announced about expanding access to COVID-19 testing with at-home test collection kits. Walmart and Sam’s Club already offer curbside pickup, delivery options and in-store and in-club shopping experiences, during the pandemic situation.
“Now, we’re applying that same lens to how we can provide access to COVID-19 testing to as many people as possible in ways that best align with their needs. This week, Walmart.com and SamsClub.com are rolling out several COVID-19 test collection kit1 options,” – the company said.
How To Get COVID-19 At-Home Test Collection Kits?
According to the information from the article, to get a test collection kit, customers need to purchase a code providing access to a health survey. Once the survey is completed, a physicians’ order is generated if appropriate, and the purchase is completed. After that, the test collection kit is mailed to the customer who can then self-collect a sample and mail to the lab for results.
“Offering options allows individuals to choose the sample collection method that is right for them depending on what type of sample they would like to provide (nasal swab vs. saliva), if they want a sample to be tested for flu and the ship-to-home delivery time.
These test collection kits can provide outcomes within as little as 24 to 48 hours after the test collection kit has been received at the lab. Some test collection kits even come with a telehealth call if a positive result occurs,” – reported Walmart.
600 Testing Locations
At that time there are nearly 600 testing locations supported by Walmart and partners of the company. Besides, Walmart is also doing a drone delivery pilots of at-home COVID-19 self-collection kits. This was a new way to provide additional, and contactless testing options in North Las Vegas, Nevada; Cheektowaga, New York; and currently in El Paso, Texas.
“All of this work builds on the COVID-19 testing support we began nine months ago when we were asked to support testing in our parking lots and, in a little more than a week from ideation, a testing location was up and running in Northlake, Illinois. We quickly broadened our support by creating additional drive-thru testing and partnerships with federal and state governments, labs and insurance companies, launching testing at pharmacy drive-thru windows,” – was said in the article.
“This test has not been FDA cleared or approved. This test has been authorized by FDA under an EUA for use by authorized laboratories. This test has been authorized only for the detection of nucleic acid from SARS-CoV-2, not for any other viruses or pathogens; and is only authorized for the duration of the declaration that circumstances exist justifying the authorization of emergency use of in vitro diagnostics for detection and/or diagnosis of COVID-19 under Section 564(b)(1) of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, 21 U.S.C. § 360bbb-3(b)(1), unless the authorization is terminated or revoked sooner,” – Walmart warns.
