I tried Ellume’s at-home COVID test — here’s how it worked out

I tried Ellume'south at-home COVID examination — hither's how it worked out

(Epitome credit: Ellume)

Editor's note: Ellume has voluntarily recalled its COVID-19 home tests. Some lots of the rapid calm test were found to yield false positive results. Read more about the call back on Ellume'southward website .

In the early days of the pandemic, it was nearly impossible to get a Covid test. Back in bound 2020, wellness officials were maxim that if you felt symptoms, presume you had COVID and isolate and quarantine. As time went on, testing became more available, only during the vacation season, hours-long lines formed at local testing centers in my city.

From the start, there was talk of making at-abode COVID tests, but they seemed to be something we'd see in the distant future. More focus was rightly put on developing and rolling out vaccines.

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While COVID isn't completely over yet — the more than-contagious Delta variant is yet causing case spikes in several states — the render to "normal" activities is speeding up; I myself just flew on a aeroplane for the first time since the pandemic started. And then, having like shooting fish in a barrel access to Covid tests is only every bit crucial as e'er. And at present, you no longer have to go to a pharmacy or physician'southward office to go tested.

The $forty Ellume habitation COVID test (available for purchase on Amazon and CVS online and stores) is the commencement over-the-counter, at-dwelling rapid antigen test that received emergency authorization from FDA. It connects via Bluetooth to an app that analyzes a nasal swab and processes the results. And while the packaging doesn't trumpet its accurateness, Ellume CEO and founder Dr. Sean Parsons told Tom's Guide that the tests deliver 96% accuracy in xv minutes.

The morning later I returned home from my trip, I used the Ellume test. Here'due south how information technology went.

What comes in the kit and how it works

When I opened the Ellume box I found iv components: the analyzer, a nasal swab with a child adapter, a dropper and a vial of processing fluid. All items were packaged and sealed separately and are designed for unmarried apply. The box besides included an information packet and a quick guide.

To employ the exam, I first downloaded the Ellume app on my iPhone (it'south bachelor in both Apple tree and Google Play stores). Before taking the test, the app prompted me to respond basic information, most of which was voluntary bated from my appointment of nascence and country/Nothing code. Then, the app played a brief video explaining the procedure. Merely once the video finished was I able to start the actual test.

The app took me through each stride. The get-go was to connect the analyzer via Bluetooth to my iPhone. Adjacent, I emptied the vial of processing fluid into the dropper. So, I applied the swab in my nose (both nostrils) and screwed it tightly onto the dropper. I flipped open the dropper cap and squeezed five drops of fluid into a minor hole in the analyzer.

Ellume home covid test dropper — (Image credit: Ellume)

After that, the app started processing and counting downwards 15 minutes until the results came back. The app displayed that my test was negative.

The unabridged testing process was a breeze — aside from the discomfort of swabbing my nose. Merely the instructions were crystal clear, the app worked seamlessly and I felt confident in the results. And since each kit retails for under $40 (now bachelor on Amazon), I wouldn't have to suspension the bank to test myself, even for a few days in a row.

The story behind Ellume's exam

Parsons explained that the seeds for Ellume's home COVID test were planted well over a decade ago, during a swine flu breakout in 2009. The company saw a need for rapid tests that didn't demand to go through a lab. So, engineering science took a giant leap forrard with smartphones and Ellume worked to integrate their diagnostic tech with smart devices. The result was a patented detection method that uses unique fluorescent nanoparticles and a sophisticated reader organization.

Nevertheless, Parsons and his team didn't want to merely "bolt on an app that takes a photo of the test strip or something. What we did was go further than that. We created our instruments so it was fully integrated," he said. "And the place that nosotros got to was with a Bluetooth-connected, fully digital analyzer."

While the analyzer looks unassuming, "There's an atrocious lot of electronics that went into making it unproblematic … There's a whole bunch of firmware that is on the dispensable cartridge."

But the most of import attribute of the home test was making it extremely easy for anyone to apply. That meant coming upwardly with the right kind of instructions to minimize human error. Other rapid tests rely heavily on consumers using them properly, which can consequence in simulated negative results.

Ellume home covid test app instructions — (Image credit: Ellume)

And despite the high 96% accuracy, Ellume still recommends everyone who gets a positive issue to consult their doctor.

Where do at-home COVID tests get from here?

The pandemic is certainly not over withal, and Parsons mentioned the coming winter as a time when testing will nevertheless be essential.

"America has washed so spectacularly well with vaccines and the trajectory is just fantastic and it's wonderful," he said. "Only when the next wintertime comes there are going to be lots of people who get the usual colds and coughs and flus again. And at that place is going to be the question of, 'Is this COVID?'"

As he pointed out, many people still haven't been vaccinated and may never choose to be. "There is still going to be ongoing transmission of COVID in the community," Parsons said. "And there are all the same quite a lot of people that want to employ our exam every bit a means of proving they don't take COVID for whatsoever reason. Catching airplanes overseas, or going to come across family unit members or so on and and then forth."

I myself used several of the samples I received to test myself after traveling. That seems to exist an platonic scenario for home tests. In fact, Delta recently partnered with Ellume to provide kits for international travelers.

Ellume covid test traveling — (Image credit: Ellume)

The tech developed for the domicile COVID test volition have uses for other diagnostics. Ellume is working on a home flu test, with a strep test to follow.

And then, after that, the possibilities are manifold. "We think that the integration of technology and biological science is really a large part of the time to come," Parsons said. "The futurity of healthcare is moving these tools into the hands of consumers."

More: How to show your COVID vaccination status on your phone

Kelly is a senior writer covering streaming media for Tom's Guide, so basically, she watches Boob tube for a living. Previously, she was a freelance entertainment writer for Yahoo, Vulture, TV Guide and other outlets. When she's not watching TV and movies for work, she's watching them for fun, seeing live music, writing songs, knitting and gardening.