HARRISBURG, Pa. — One way to now get proof of a negative COVID-19 test is to simply spit.
The Food and Drug Administration has granted emergency use authorization to several at-home COVID-19 test kits.
People who want to travel need to get results quickly.
New rules from the CDC now require a negative covid-19 test for people flying from international locations to the US and you can see signs like these all over highways in Pennsylvania reminding people of travel restrictions and to get tested for the virus.
Some states, like Hawaii, even require people to sign up for a "safe travelers" program, which would require travelers to sign up with the state and present proof of a negative COVID-19 test result.
The at-home tests may be a faster option than waiting in line for a drive-through test and you can get it delivered right to your door.
Types of at-home COVID-19 test
There are typically two options: a nasal swab kit or a saliva kit.
FOX43 Finds Out bought two of the kits to see how quickly people in south-central Pennsylvania can expect the test to arrive and get the results.
Both of the kits we bought did not require the user to have any symptoms for testing.
Purlab COVID-19 test
First, we bought the Purlab covid-19 test.
This test is sold on GoPuff, which is a Pennsylvania company.
The saliva test was on sale for $99. You do have to pay out of pocket for the test and can then submit the payment to your insurance company to see if you get reimbursed.
According to Purlab, the test is covered by most insurance carriers.
We ordered the test on a Thursday morning around 11:30.
We had it delivered to an address near Harrisburg and it arrived around 45 minutes later.
However, we did check some other locations in south-central PA that might take up to 2 days to arrive.
The test took about 5 minutes, and when it was all done I packed the box up and put it in a local FedEx dropbox. Then 42 hours after the test arrived, we got the results. Which were negative.
DxTerrity COVID-19 test
The next COVID-19 test came from Amazon.
It's called DxTerrity.
It is also a saliva sample and costs $110.
Again, it could be covered by your health insurance, but you'll have to pay upfront and then submit it to your insurance.
FOX43 Finds Out ordered the test on amazon on a Monday.
While it said it would take a few days to arrive, we ended up getting it the next day.
The DxTerrity test is almost identical to the Purlab test, open the vial, spit, and mix in the solution.
Again, the test was boxed up and put in a FedEx dropbox.
The test results came about 24 hours after drop off, again a negative result.
FOX43 Finds Out both of these tests would fall into that 3-day testing window for travel.
There are even faster tests that could be available soon.
The White House recently signed a deal with a company, Ellume, to get rapid tests that send results to a smartphone within 15 minutes of receiving a sample.
it would be the first over-the-counter fully at-home diagnostic test.
It's a cheaper option too likely to be sold for about $30 and should be available soon.
The test results seem to be are pretty accurate.
The Journal of the American Medical Association researchers found saliva tests are correct around 93% of the time.
Although they not as precise as the traditional nasal swab tests that have a 97% accuracy.
There are a lot of at-home covid-19 tests on the market, but not all of them have emergency use authorizations from the FDA. Here's how you can check which tests have an emergency use authorization.
Also, these are PCR tests, which experts say are best to take 3 days after a potential exposure for the most accurate result.
Here is a list of some other COVID-19 tests that can either be taken at home or thru a drive-thru for faster results:
15 To Know: This is a drive-thru test that you have to pay for, either a Rapid Test or a PCR test. There are several locations in South Central PA.
Pixel by LabCorp: This is another at-home test that might be covered by your insurance company. It's a nasal swab test and requires people to fill out a survey before someone is eligible to get the test sent to them.
My LAB Box: Consumers can buy this online on Walmart's website. There is a nasal swab kit option or a salvia kit option.
If you have a story you want Jackie to look into, FOX43 wants to find out. Send her a message on Facebook or send an email to FOX43FindsOut@FOX43.com.