We know our women businesses are innovative, but we were nicely surprised to find out that one of them, EverlyWell, has recently announced they are the first U.S. company to release a COVID-19 testing kit for at home use!
Everlywell is a lab testing kit founded by Harvard Business Graduate, Julia Cheek. The at home testing kit tests for a number of health issues ranging anywhere from fertility to food sensitivity with physician-reviewed, digital results and insights sent in just a day.
According to a recent TIME Magazine publication, EverlyWell will add the capability to test for COVID-19 with their at home testing kit beginning March 23, 2020. Patients are able to purchase the kit after answering a few initial health questions along with a doctor’s prescription for the test. If a doctor does prescribe a patient to order the kit, the company will send the $135 dollar kit within 2 days with an added option for rush delivery.
The process for coronavirus testing adheres to the same standards as any other test for Everlywell. Once the sample is collected, the patient mails the kit back to an FDA approved lab. The sample is then tested and results are promptly sent by text or email. For safety reassurance, doctors may suggest the patient self quarantine during the results waiting period.
But there is one manufacturing challenge for EverlyWell. The swabs used in the testing kit are produced in Italy which is currently on lockdown. Although challenging, Cheek has a positive goal, “We’re working hard to ramp up weekly capacity to test 250,000 Americans,” says Cheek. The founder’s ultimate goal is to provide enough kits for every household to be tested for the virus.
Julia Cheek created her company out of frustration and inconvenience with traditional lab testing. Now, at this time of crisis, it is incredible to see Cheek has taken on another challenge -- to provide coronavirus testing for people in need. This is the type of story we like to share with our community so we can continue to see the silver lining in difficult times. When you are faced with a challenge, remember there is always an opportunity for innovation.
Check out their website here, and stay tuned for more updates.