Just think about the number of EUAs granted for at-home COVID testing. Then think of the information that is not being captured because people aren’t reporting the outcomes of all those home-administered tests. Remember the days when the number of reports of positive cases were daily headlines? Now, no one knows—or maybe it’s that so many people have COVID fatigue that they don’t really care. The FDA cares, however, as do the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC).
Why do they care? Because, as home testing increases, it “helps improve America’s understanding of how people are using at-home tests. You’re also helping researchers and public health teams figure out how best to use the data those test results give them.” It also gives an early warning sign of a potential increase in either the incidence, severity, or spread of the disease as we move from the pandemic to the endemic phase of COVID.
“FDA encourages you to voluntarily and anonymously report your positive or negative test results every time you use an at-home COVID-19 test.” The FDA has updated its easy-to-use reporting system at MakeMyTestCount.org (here) and the only information it requests is the result (negative or positive) and your zip code. You don’t need to share any of your personal information. This is a way to help the medical community keep the disease in check and keep an eye on things that could influence medical decisions or alert public health officials of a change in the status of the disease. Consider participating in this exercise to help better protect the public health in our country.
