FAQs

About COVID-19

What is COVID-19?
COVID-19 is a respiratory illness caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2), a virus from the coronavirus subfamily. COVID-19 is a highly infectious disease and can spread through human-to-human transmissions, such as close contact with infected individuals or by being in enclosed spaces where contaminated droplets or airborne particles circulate. For more and updated information on COVID-19 transmission, please click here.
What are the symptoms of COVID-19?
Symptoms may begin 1-14 days after exposure to the virus, and can include fever, cough, breathing difficulties, fatigue, and loss of smell and taste. Most people with COVID-19 exhibit mild to moderate symptoms, while some exhibit no noticeable symptoms at all.

However, there are people who will develop severe symptoms from COVID-19, with outcomes that can include hospitalization, intensive care, post-sickness conditions, and even death. Individuals infected with COVID-19 can remain contagious for up to 20 days, and can spread the virus even if they themselves do not develop symptoms. For more and updated information on COVID-19 symptoms, please click here.

Who is most at risk of severe illness due to COVID-19?
People most at risk are older people aged 60 years and over, as well as individuals of any age with underlying medical conditions such as high blood pressure, heart or lung disease, diabetes, or cancer. However, anyone can get sick with COVID-19 and become seriously ill, even people considered healthy and low risk. For more and updated information on groups at increased risk of severe illness due to COVID-19, please click here.

About INDICAID® COVID-19 Rapid Antigen At-Home Test Kit (OTC)

Can you tell me about the INDICAID® COVID-19 Rapid Antigen At-Home Test?
INDICAID® is PHASE Scientific’s brand of COVID-19 Rapid Antigen At-Home Test. It is a fast, easy and cost-effective way to test yourself (or family members & friends) to see if you have been infected with SARS-CoV-2.

It is a non-invasive test that involves a shallow nasal swab for collecting the nasal sample, which provides improved comfort compared with many other rapid antigen tests.

Also, you can test at-home or ‘on the go’ and obtain results in about 20 minutes.

What are the advantages of INDICAID® COVID-19 Rapid Antigen At-Home Test?
This test can be administered with no equipment or training, and results can be developed in as fast as 20 minutes. The test has high sensitivity and can detect lower viral load samples against competitive products. This test has been granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) by the United States Food and Drug Administration.
What components are included in the INDICAID® COVID-19 Rapid Antigen At-Home Test package?
Our test package contains an Instructions for Use (IFU), a Quick Reference Guide, plus 2 or 12 sets of sterile nasal swabs, buffer solution vials and lateral flow test devices(depends on your choice of package sizes).
What is the difference between an antigen and molecular test?
There are different kinds of tests for the virus that causes COVID-19. Molecular tests detect genetic material from the virus. Antigen tests, such as the INDICAID® COVID-19 Rapid Antigen At-Home Test, detect proteins from the virus. Due to the lower sensitivity of antigen tests, there is a higher chance of false negative results with antigen tests than with laboratory-based molecular test. This means that there is a higher chance this test will give you a negative result when you have COVID-19 than a molecular test would.
Will INDICAID® COVID-19 Rapid Antigen At-Home Test be reimbursable through my insurance?
Since reimbursement policies vary from one insurance company to another, we suggest that you contact your health insurance company to determine their specific policy related to OTC (or At-Home) COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Test reimbursement.

Our INDICAID® COVID-19 Rapid Antigen At-Home Test (OTC) is now eligible for HSA/FSA reimbursement.

Usage of INDICAID® COVID-19 Rapid Antigen At-Home Test (OTC)

Who can perform the nasal swab from the INDICAID® COVID-19 Rapid Antigen At-Home Test?
Anyone age 14 or older can self test using INDICAID® COVID-19 Rapid Antigen test kit on their own, and an adult (age 18 or older) should collect the nasal swab sample from children ages 2 to 13 years old and then perform the test on behalf of the child. Note that this test kit is not approved for use with children under the age of 2.
When should I consider using INDICAID® COVID-19 Rapid Antigen At-Home Test Kit?
We recommended that you use the INDICAID® COVID-19 Rapid Antigen At-Home Test kit if you are experiencing COVID-19 type symptoms, such as fever, cough, breathing difficulties, fatigue, and/or loss of smell or taste.

We also suggest you utilize a COVID-19 test kit if you have been exposed to someone testing positive for COVID-19 (even if you are ‘asymptomatic’).

Testing is also useful before or after travel, or even just to provide you and your family ‘peace of mind’ as you go back to the office, back to school, or attend events with larger groups of people.

I do not have any symptoms. Will this test still tell me if I am positive?
Yes, our INDICAID® COVID-19 Rapid Antigen At-Home Test kit is approved for detection of asymptomatic infections.

If you do not have symptoms and received a negative result, you should test at least two more times with 48 hours in between tests for a total of three tests. If you have a negative result, it does not rule out SARS-CoV-2 infection; you may still be infected and you may still infect others. It is important that you work with your healthcare provider to help you understand the next steps you should take.

What is serial testing?
Serial testing is when one person tests themselves multiple times for COVID-19 on a routine basis, such as every day or every other day. By testing more frequently, you may detect COVID-19 more quickly and reduce spread of infection.

Serial testing should be performed in individuals with negative results at least twice over three days (with 48 hours between tests) for symptomatic individuals and three times over five days (with at least 48 hours between tests) for asymptomatic individuals. You may need to purchase additional tests to perform this serial (repeat) testing.

My child may have swallowed some of the buffer solution that comes with the test kit. Is it dangerous, and if so, what should I do?
The buffer solution contains two different reagents that are hazardous ingredients that should not be ingested. Please refer to the Instructions for Use (IFU) for more information.

Keep testing kit and kit components away from children and pets before and after use. Avoid contact with your skin, eyes, nose, or mouth. Do not ingest any kit components. The reagent solution contains harmful chemicals (see table below). If contact to the skin or eye occurs, flush with large amounts of water. If irritation persists or any substances were ingested, seek medical advice: https://www.poisonhelp.org or 1-800-222-1222.

What temperature should I store my INDICAID® COVID-19 Rapid Antigen At-Home Test Kit at?
Store the tests between 36-86℉ (i.e. 2-30°C) until you are ready to use the test, and then make sure the test components are at room temperature when you are ready to conduct the test.

Test Results Interpretation

How to interpret the results?
Negative: If the control (C) line is visible, but the test (T) line is NOT visible, the test is negative.

Positive: If the control (C) line and the test (T) line are visible, the test is positive. Any faint visible red-colored test (T) line with the control (C) line should be read as positive.

Invalid Result: If the control (C) line is not visible, the test is invalid. Re-test with a new swab and new test device.

What if I have a positive test result?
Repeat testing does not need to be performed if patients have a positive result at any time. A positive test result means that the virus that causes COVID-19 was detected in the sample, and it is very likely the individual has COVID-19 and is contagious. Please contact the patient’s doctor/primary care physician (if applicable) and the local health authority immediately and instruct your patient to adhere to the local guidelines regarding self-isolation. There is a very small chance that this test can give a positive result that is incorrect (false positive).

Positive results do not rule out bacterial infection or co-infection with other viruses. The agent detected may not be the definite cause of disease. Individuals who test positive with the INDICAID COVID-19 Rapid Antigen At-Home Test should self-isolate and seek follow up care with their physician or healthcare provider as additional confirmatory testing with a molecular test for positive results may also be necessary, if there is a low likelihood of COVID-19, such as in individuals without known exposures to COVID-19 or residing in communities with low prevalence of infection.

What if I have a negative test result?
A negative test result indicates that the virus that causes COVID-19 was not detected in the sample. A negative result does not rule out COVID-19. There is a higher chance of false negative results with antigen tests compared to laboratory-based tests such as PCR tests. If the test is negative but COVID-19-like symptoms, e.g., fever, cough, and/or shortness of breath continue, follow up testing for SARS-CoV-2 with a molecular test or testing for other respiratory disease should be considered. If applicable, seek follow up care with the primary healthcare provider.

To increase the chance that the negative result for COVID-19 is accurate, you should: Test again in 48 hours if the individual has symptoms on the first day of testing. Test 2 more times at least 48 hours apart if the individual does not have symptoms on the first day of testing.

All negative results should be treated as presumptive and confirmation with a molecular assay, may be necessary if there is high likelihood of SARS-CoV-2 infection, such as in an individual with a close contact with COVID-19 or with suspected exposure to COVID-19 or in communities with high prevalence of infection. Negative results do not rule out SARS-CoV-2 infection and should not be used as the sole basis for treatment or patient management decisions, including infection control decisions.

What if I have an invalid test result?
If no control line shows up on the test, the result is invalid (even if any test line shows up). An invalid result means the test was not able to tell if you have COVID-19 or not. If the test is invalid, a new swab should be used to collect a new nasal specimen and the test should be run again, using all new test components.

Accuracy & Detectability

Is INDICAID® COVID-19 Rapid Antigen At-Home Test approved by the FDA? And, what is INDICAID®’s FDA-approved shelf life?
In the USA, this product has not been FDA cleared or approved, but has been authorized by FDA under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). This product is only authorized for the detection of proteins from SARS-CoV-2, not for any other viruses or pathogens. The emergency use of this product is only authorized for the duration of the declaration that circumstances exist justifying the authorization of emergency use of in vitro diagnostics for detection and/or diagnosis of COVID-19 under Section 564(b)(1) of the Act, 21 U.S.C. § 360bbb-3(b)(1), unless the declaration is terminated or authorization is revoked sooner.

This test has an FDA-approved shelf-life if 12-months from the date of manufacture.

How accurate is INDICAID® COVID-19 Rapid Antigen At-Home Test?
Clinical studies have shown that antigen tests more accurately determine whether you are infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 when taken multiple times across several days. Repeat testing improves test accuracy. This serial testing approach is recommended to minimize the risk of incorrect results.

The performance of the INDICAID® COVID-19 Rapid Antigen At-Home Test was established in a prospective study using an EUA authorized molecular test as a comparator method (PPA 81.7% and NPA 99.4%).

For more information on the performance of the test and how the performance may apply to you, please refer to the performance data in the Healthcare Provider Instructions for Use (IFU), available at www.indicaid.com.

Does INDICAID® COVID-19 Rapid Antigen At-Home Test detect the Omicron variant?
We have done clinical studies to validate that INDICAID® COVID-19 Rapid Antigen At-Home Test Kit is effective in testing for the Omicron variant of COVID-19. We also continue to conduct clinical tests to validate INDICAID® against new COVID-19 variants as they emerge.

Product Qualities

Does COVID-19 vaccination interfere with INDICAID® COVID-19 Rapid Antigen At-Home Test result validity?
COVID-19 vaccinations do not interfere with INDICAID® COVID-19 Rapid Antigen At-Home Test results, nor do they affect the test validity.
If I suspect that my INDICAID® COVID-19 Rapid Antigen At-Home Test has a product defect, what steps do I take?
If you purchased your INDICAID® COVID-19 Rapid Antigen At-Home Test from a retail store, we recommend first contacting your retail store to obtain product replacement. If you purchase from our online store, please refer to our Shipping & Return Policies.

Insurance Reimbursement / Eligibility

How can I get reimbursed for the test kit? (Insurance eligibility)

You can now get INDICAID for free!

Starting from January 15, most people with private health insurance coverage or covered by a group health plan can purchase an over-the-counter COVID-19 diagnostic test authorized by FDA at no cost, either through reimbursement or free of charge through their insurance. This applies to purchases from online, a pharmarcy or store.

As part of the requirement, insurers and plans would reimburse tests at a rate of up to $12 per individual test (or the cost of the test, if less than $12), and would cover 8 free tests per covered individual per month - meaning a family of four can get 32 tests per month for free.

For the detailed insurance eligibility policy, please contact your health plan providers or visit the CMS website.

Group Purchase

Any discounts for group orders (e.g. company orders)?
We accept group orders for corporate customers. Please contact us at +1 877 934-9344, and choose Option 2, or email us at ussales@phasesci.com