The Covid-19 Spit Test: An Honest Review

Life in corona times is changing. Travel is changing. Vaccines are beginning to be approved. Saliva-based tests (or the covid-19 spit test, as I like to call them) for coronavirus testing have also recently been approved. I was eager to try out this covid-19 spit test.

Since August, I have gotten nose and throat swab PCR tests at least 4 times.

1. Upon arrival to Kyiv to release me from quarantine;
2. Upon departure from Kyiv to allow me on an Emirates flight;
3. Once when there was a scare within the Kabul expat community, and several people tested positive;
4. My departure from Kabul to allow me on an Emirates flight.

I think there may have been more, but maybe my brain’s been scrambled from all the swabbing.

1. Why I took the Covid-19 Spit Test

On November 13, 2020, the State of California issued a travel advisory which stated:

Persons arriving in California from other states or countries, including returning California residents, should practice self-quarantine for 14 days after arrival.

I landed in America three days later. Having just spent 55 hours and 3 days in airports and airplanes between Afghanistan and America, I knew when I arrived I would probably be coronavirus-central.

While there is no mandatory testing requirement, either in California or the United States as a whole, I decided that I would take a test, and if negative, be released from quarantine a little bit earlier.

Enter my sister, who is a pharmacist.

And, luckily and thankfully, Albertsons Pharmacy now offers COVID-19 spit tests, which can be done almost entirely by mail! (Available in America only)

2. Covid-19 Spit Test: Remember the Incubation Period

We are all probably inundated with coronavirus and covid-19 information by now. But I just wanted to remind you all that there is an incubation period for the infection. The incubation period is from the moment you become exposed, to the onset of symptoms.

That means, if you are exposed on Day 1, most people won’t show symptoms until (on average) 5-6 days later. The ability to test positive after exposure also has this few day delay.

Honestly, that’s why these covid-19 tests to release you from an airport upon arrival are kind of moot. If you’re traveling, you’d likely get infected in transit. By the time you arrive at your destination, if you were exposed during travel, you would probably test negative, and then spread the infection.

Waiting a few days before you test helps you account for that incubation period.

For me, I arrived in America, Monday, November 16. I submitted my spit sample on Thursday, November 20.

3. How to set up and order your Covid-19 Spit Test

First things first. If you have an Albertsons Pharmacy near you, you can simply pick up the phone and call your pharmacist and go through this process.

Otherwise, if you want, ordering your covid-19 spit test online is easy enough.

1. Go to www.scheduletest.com;
2. Click on Request a Test;
3. Then you’ll be asked to answer Yes/No to these two questions:

Do you have any of these life-threatening symptoms? 

• Bluish lips or face
• Severe and constant pain or pressure in the chest
• Extreme difficulty breathing (gasping for air or cannot talk without catching your breath)
• Severe and constant dizziness or lightheadedness
• Serious disorientation (acting confused)
• Unconscious or very difficult to wake up
• Slurred Speech (new or worsening)
• Seizures
• Signs of low blood pressure (too weak to stand, light headed, feeling cold, pale, clammy skin)

If yes, you are ineligible for this covid-19 spit test, and you should immediately seek urgent medical attention.

Are you an employee that was referred by your company to be tested? 

If yes, a prompt will appear where you enter in your company voucher information.

After confirming your elibility for the test, you enter in your Zip Code in order to select how you want to receive your phosphorus covid-19 test:

• Pick it up at your local Albertsons store: $139.99 USD
• Delivery by mail: $139.99 USD + shipping ($10 Ground, $30 Next Day)

If you are displaying symptoms, do not pick up the test yourself. You can appoint a person to pick it up for you.

*If you select delivery by mail, you can select the local Albertsons nearest to you. If you have no preference, feel free to enter 92562 as your Zip for the California Oaks Pharmacy.

Just to be clear, neither my sister (the Pharmacist) nor I are affiliates or get any commissions from the sales of any covid-19 spit tests from my post. This post is informational only and is a true reflection of my experience with the Phosphorus Covid-19 Test.

4. Before you begin your Covid-19 Spit Test

Here are some things to remember before you begin your spit test.

1. Take into consideration the incubation period, to make sure you’re not testing too early. Testing too early can yield false negatives.
2. Because of the weekend work schedule of the labs, your spit samples should not be collected on Friday or Saturday.
3. Don’t eat, drink, or smoke for the 30 minutes before sample collection.

5. Your Phosphorus Covid-19 Test Kit

Contained in your “at home covid test” are:

• FedEx return envelope
• Instruction sheet
• Medical Questionnaire (i.e. current symtpoms, pre-existing conditions, medical history) – DON’T FORGET TO SIGN AND DATE
• Sample collection tube (in box)
• Patient labels (date and time of sample collection) – one (1) label for the tube, one (1) label for the medical questionnaire
• Biohazard sample bag

6. Directions for your at home COVID test

Wash your hands before you begin, and get your spit ready!

1. Spit until the amount of saliva (not bubbles) reaches the fill line – honestly the hardest part of the directions!!
2. Close lid tightly by pushing down hard on the funnel lid until you hear a loud click.
3. Unscrew the funnel from the tube.
4. Use small cap to close tube tightly.
5. Shake the capped tube for 5 seconds.

And now you either arrange for FedEx to pick it up or ask someone to drop it off at your FedEx shipping site! Remember, you should not be collecting your samples on a Friday or Saturday, due to the labs being closed on weekends.

7. Results of my Albertsons Covid Test

I asked my mom to drop off my COVID-19 saliva test at the local FedEx on Thursday, November 19. By Monday, November 23, I received the following email results:

Woop woop! Negative! Thank you, Albertsons, for your at home covid test! Watch out world!!

8. Parting thoughts on my experience with the Covid-19 spit test

In the end, I received my negative result one week after I landed in the US. Given that many states have voluntary or mandatory self isolation / quarantine (varying between 10 – 14 days), taking the at home covid test “released me” from quarantine a few days early.

As a brief recap:

• Monday, November 16, arrive in US;
• Thursday, November 20, collect spit sample;
• Monday, November 23, negative result!
• Monday, November 30 – California 14-day self-isolation release date.

Time saved: one week! But at the cost of $140 USD.

For me, it was worth it so that I could spend Thanksgiving with my family! And, let’s be blunt – zero humans alive enjoy the nose and throat swabs. For a significantly less invasive way to test whether you have covid, look no further than your neighborhood Albertson’s Pharmacy!

So for now, until the highly anticipated vaccine becomes available to the masses, I’ll choose the covid-19 saliva test over a swab any day of the week. But not only that, the ability to finally have an at home covid test is something to celebrate! Way to go Albertson’s!

A big thank you to my sister, the Pharmacist, who set all this up for me!

That’s it for now! Until next time, everyone stay home, stay safe and wear your mask!

Pin it for later!

Now that you’ve tested negative, and only if it’s allowed by your government, how about taking a socially distant road trip? Top tips on how to road trip safely during covid-19, here!

Lannie

Lannie is a perpetual wanderer and loves to share her travel adventures and the food she eats along the way with everyone.  She works during the day while bouncing around the world and dreams about new places and faces at night!  She has a home on the magical Isle of Islay in Scotland, where the whisky flows freely and happily.

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