This all sounds promising. Testing yourself or your family right before heading out to a gathering of people is one way to be certain that you’re not spreading the virus. While I’m not here to validate Detect’s testing claims, I did try it out to see what it’s like and what you can expect from it.
TL;DR
Pros:
Easy-to-follow video instructionsA relatively inexpensive home testing system
Cons:
Mixing liquids adds complicationsNeeds more than an hour of relatively close monitoring
Buy at Detect.
Taking a Detect COVID Test
Detect’s COVID-19 system has two parts, a Detect hub and a test. These can be purchased together or separately. And once you have a hub, you don’t need to buy another one. You’ll only need a new, one-time use test for each individual.
Detect’s newly launched product is limited in the number of tests people can buy at the moment, so I only tried two. I used one, and my fifth-grade son volunteered to do the second one. Self-testing is recommended for people 14 years and older, so I helped him administer the test. It has small pieces and tiny container caps and requires mixing liquids.
Taking a Detect COVID-19 test starts by downloading its free mobile app. Inside the app, I scanned the QR code on the test box, and it began the video instructions. The videos were broken into small chunks that they were easy to follow. The audio, in particular, was a helpful facet of the instructions.
Once I swabbed my nose, mixed the sample in the liquid and then inserted it into the Detect Hub, it’s mostly a waiting game. The app starts a countdown and alerts you when it’s time to begin the results portion.
The hub does not use Bluetooth to connect to your device, so it’s not linked. The app will save past test results, but it does this from the QR code that was scanned at the start of the process. The app also isn’t very invasive in that it doesn’t require an account to be made. It also doesn’t link information to any person that takes a test by default. I thought this was a nice change of pace. Most apps want users to create an account whether they are really needed or not.
After the hour-long amplification process has occurred, it’s time to get the results. This involves adding liquid into a plastic reader piece and mixing it with the other liquid from the tube. Liquid seeps down into the base and reveals results based on a combination of different lines.
The app helps you interpret the results. Both of the times I did this, the lines were solid and left no uncertainty.
COVID-19 Test Comparisons
In addition to the Detect COVID-19 Test, I’ve also tried the new Cue COVID-19 home test. Both are molecular tests that are advertised as PCR quality. These types of tests are magnitudes better than over-the-counter antigen tests and why they are typically required when traveling or returning to school.
There are some stark differences between the Cue test and this one from Detect. For starters, the price is quite different. Detect offers a testing hub and single test for $75, at the time of this story. Each additional Detect test costs $49. The Cue Reader and three COVID tests are $474. Cue only sells tests in 3-packs, which cost $225. Prices go up from there if you want Cue’s subscription service, which offers 24/7 video access to a physician.
The Cue Reader has Bluetooth connectivity, which it uses for things like advancing instructional videos once a cartridge has been inserted. The Cue test also doesn’t require any mixing of fluids and takes less than half the time of the Detect test.
Cue Health is building out a whole line of future home tests that will be compatible with its reader hardware, so the cost isn’t totally lost if you no longer need to take COVID tests in six months.
As much as Detect’s home COVID test does feel rudimentary compared with Cue’s, it’s still a molecular test and can be completed in about an hour.
Considerations
Detect advertises no false positives, but it does also say on its website that people taking high doses of biotin supplements—Vitamin B7—can produce false-negative results.
Like Cue, Detect does offer verified test results that can be used for travel and in most places that require a negative test. This is a $20 add-on and uses a video call to verify the results.
If you have other lingering questions about Detect’s new product, I would encourage you to read the frequently asked questions section of its website. There’s lots of information that it addresses.
Should You Buy a Detect Testing Kit?
First of all, as someone who covers technology, I love new products that are made specifically to address human needs. It’s heartening to see a relatively low-cost molecular COVID-19 test for home use come on the market.
The Detect COVID-19 Test does require some handling of small pieces and mixing liquids, but it also doesn’t cost much more money than an over-the-counter antigen at-home test does. Depending on your line of work or your personal circumstances, it might be worth picking up a Detect Hub, test and verified results add-on, all for under $100. It will certainly save you lots of time over running around town trying to get into a lab specifically when you need it.
Buy at Detect, from $75.
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