- This is Joanna.
She thinks she has COVID 19,
and now she has a nostril so we can test her.
But this isn't just any nose swab.
It's part of a high-tech PCR-like test
called the Cue Health Monitoring System.
And you can do it all at home,
no standing in line at the testing center,
and then waiting a few days to get the result.
See, first you insert this cartridge
into this cartridge reader.
Then after you've snotted-up this fancy swab,
it gets inserted into the cartridge,
which then sends the result to your phone,
and confirmed positive.
Definitely did not want to be in the same room as her,
but I am the real Joanna.
And I recently did have COVID
and I really have been testing two new advanced
at-home molecular tests on myself.
Number one, the Cue Reader and Cue COVID 19 Test,
which together start at $474.
Number two, the Detect COVID Test;
the starter kit starts at $75.
Clearly, these are not your twentysomething,
a pair box of at-home rapid antigen tests.
Instead, these are at home molecular tests
that work like PCR tests.
So, do you really need one of these?
And if you do, which one do you get?
We're going to get to all of that,
but first you really need to understand the difference
between these tests and those inexpensive tests.
Don't worry, she's going to help with it all.
She's far more capable than me.
Okay, first, the at-home antigen tests like these,
which have been available and at times hard to find
over the past few months.
Swab the nose, then play six drops here,
and then stick the swab in here.
Here's what's happening,
those drops of liquid help push the sample to the paper,
and the paper itself is loaded up with antibodies
that detect an antigen or a viral protein.
If detected, it will be positive.
if not negative.
These tests, which take up to 15 minutes
to return results,
may not detect COVID-19
in the early stages of infection,
but they tend to detect it,
when you're carrying a lot of the virus.
On the other hand,
a molecular test is more sensitive
and can detect COVID earlier.
These tests use chemicals and equipment
to amplify a sample's genetic material,
billions of times to spot traces of the virus.
And now we do that all from your home.
Let's try the Detect system to illustrate what's happening
during a molecular test.
And back to swabbing;
after that you insert the swab into this test tube
and stir for 15 seconds.
Then you open this pouch and get out this cap
and screw it on the tube.
The cap has a little enzyme
that helps with the process of amplifying your sample.
You shake it up real well
so it all gets mixed up together.
Then you place it in the Detect Hub
for about 55 minutes.
The Detect App,
which thankfully provides a step-by-step guide
to all this,
will alert you when it's ready to be taken out.
Oh, and we're not done;
Then you open another pack and squeeze the liquid
from this dropper into this reader,
then you place your test tube in the chimney of the reader.
Then, finally, the sample pours into the reader.
Then, you wait another 10 minutes.
And then finally, one line negative, two lines positive.
The Cue Test does pretty much the same thing
without you having to pretend you're some sort
of mad scientist.
You put the Cue cartridge into the reader,
then you put the fancy swab in your nose,
and collect the sample.
Then you insert the swab into the cartridge;
inside it mixes with liquid and some enzymes
and then it does its thing for about 20 minutes.
The reader also connects to your phone via Bluetooth.
When the test is done, boom,
your results pop up right in the Cue Health App.
So molecular tests can detect your COVID infection earlier,
than antigen tests.
But how much earlier?
experts told me it could be anywhere
from six hours to two days.
And it depends on a couple of factors,
including the variant.
And that's pretty much how it went for me.
On Friday, I started to feel symptoms.
A rapid antigen test said negative.
The Detect test positive.
A PCR test taking the next morning
at a lab confirmed positive as well.
By Sunday, the rapid antigen tests said positive.
Both Detect and Cue report
that they are around 97% accurate
as a laboratory PCR test.
I called up Dr. Michael Mina,
an epidemiologist and COVID testing expert
to ask him more about these tests and if we can trust them.
He previously served as an adviser to Detect.
- I can certainly trust the readout.
The tools are working very well.
It's not a new technology.
It's just a new packaging of a known technology,
and it's really sort of taking what only lived
in big instruments
and putting it into very simple little boxes.
- So which one is better? Well, I love the Cue.
It's basically a little COVID testing computer,
but it also costs as much as a computer.
The reader is $249 and a pack of three tests is $225.
You can buy it on cuehealth.com.
The NBA, MLB, Netflix and Google are just a few
using the system.
Eventually, Cue wants to sell other types of tests,
including flu that you'd take
and then plug into the cartridge reader.
While the detect requires more steps
and takes longer to process the result,
It's more affordable which is why I bought it.
The starter kit is $75 and includes the Hub and one test;
extra tests cost $49,
but the company plans to bring that price down soon.
You can buy it on detect.com,
if they have stock.
The site often says exactly what day
and time there'll be more stock in,
but supplies go very quickly.
Detect is also working on a future test
that will test for COVID and flu.
There's another $75 molecular test
called the Lucira Check It.
But it is a single use test,
and I didn't try it while I had COVID.
And it's really those higher prices
that hold back these tests
from being as useful as the antigen tests,
experts told me.
Plus, you're going to want those antigen tests
as the virus progresses,
and you want to get out of quarantine.
- If you're trying to use the test to ask the question,
can I exit isolation and go back to work
or be around my family safely,
a rapid antigen test is the test to use
that will give you that information.
- We just got the results. We're both COVID free.
Molecular tests are so sensitive,
they can show positive results
even after the virus is no longer alive in your body.
But Hey, the idea of having a gadget in your house
that saves you a trip to the doctor is the dream.
For now though,
you need to be willing to pay way more
than those antigen tests.
Luckily, fiberglass Joanna is super duper rich, oops.
(orchestral music)