FDA authorizes first mail-in test for COVID-19

The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday authorized the first COVID-19 test that allows Americans to collect a sample at home and mail it in.

The tests allow patients to collect samples from their noses with swabs and saline and mail them in an insulated package to Laboratory Corporation of America, or LabCorp.

LabCorp will make the tests available to consumers in most states over the coming weeks, according to the FDA. Patients must get a doctor’s order to obtain the test, however.

“We worked with LabCorp to ensure the data demonstrated from at-home patient sample collection is as safe and accurate as sample collection at a doctor’s office, hospital or other testing site. With this action, there is now a convenient and reliable option for patient sample collection from the comfort and safety of their home,” the agency said.

The approval comes as states clamor for more testing options, saying they cannot open their economies safely unless they are able to detect and isolate cases.

Mr. Trump says states need to take the lead in testing but he will use federal power to free up supplies and pinpoint lab capacity.

The mail-in test is a notable advancement — some patients may feel too sick to go out or fear infecting others at the doctor’s office.

The FDA authorized the test, known as “Pixel by LabCorp COVID-19,” for emergency use, a type of rapid review that is short of full approval but gives the product a stamp of credibility.

The new kits include a special Q-tip-style cotton swab. Regulators said people shouldn’t use other cotton swabs due to concerns about sterility and cross-reactivity.