What Parents Need to Know About COVID Testing

With that said, a lot has changed over the past two years. At the start of the pandemic, the United States really didn’t have a national infrastructure in place for COVID testing solutions – and certainly not ones that accounted for capacity and scale. In April 2020, Vault Health made a business decision to pivot and deliver the first FDA-authorized at-home PCR COVID test (done in partnership with Infinity BiologiX and Spectrum Solutions) to address this issue and keep people safe.

Since then, Vault Health has played a major role in the fight against COVID-19.  Not only have they delivered over 10 million COVID tests nationwide (ranging from enterprise and business to public health, education, and direct to consumer), but they have also set up vaccination clinics and administered hundreds of thousands of COVID vaccines across the country. In this post, we’ll be looking at COVID tests in detail – how they work, which test is the most effective to use and when or why, and what precautions parents should take when they are making plans for their families.

My Personal Experience with Vault Health

I initially heard about Vault Health last spring when my family and I were planning a trip to Hawaii. It was our first vacation together since the pandemic began, and we were required to use tests that had been approved by the airline and state. In doing so, we also had to show that we tested negative for COVID-19 within 72 hours of traveling.  Of course, this added a few more hoops for us to jump through while planning our trip, but it was worth it in the end – especially since we had peace of mind knowing that we were traveling safely.

In doing our research, we learned that Vault Heath was an approved COVID test company used in the state of Hawaii, and they offered at-home saliva tests. This meant that we didn’t need to leave the house for a nose swab, and our kids would be much more comfortable in the process. Furthermore, we knew Vault Health was known for getting test results back quickly, which alleviated some of the stress and unknowns around COVID testing for travel. After having gone through the entire process, I can confidently say that Vault Health is great to work with, and they are my family’s preferred choice for COVID testing!

What to Expect When You Get Tested via Vault Health

Vault Health makes it easy to order a test, take it, send it back, and get your results — so simple and efficient. First, you order the test online, either directly through their website, or if your state has a partnership with Vault, you can do it through the state’s health department website. The ordering process is very quick and straightforward. Within 24 hours, a test arrives at your doorstep via UPS. In some big cities, it may even arrive the same day via DoorDash.

Once the test arrives, you open the package and follow the instructions to log onto a Zoom video call. You’ll confirm that you haven’t eaten, had anything to drink, or chewed gum for the past 30 minutes, and then you’ll be connected with one of Vault Health’s test supervisors. By the way, you can do this any day of the week (no appointment necessary), but please note the hours of operation for completing your test via Zoom: Sunday through Thursday, 8am -8pm EST, and Friday through Saturday, 8am – 6pm EST.

The Zoom provider will be with you the whole time and guide you through the process. You’ll spit into a tube with a funnel on the top. Most people take 5-10 minutes to fill it up enough. It isn’t very big, but you may need a little help producing more saliva for a complete sample. When I took the test, the Zoom provider gave me a good tip! She said that if I open a jar of pickles and smell them, my mouth will produce more saliva, therefore, fill my tube up faster!

Once you collect all of the saliva in the small tube, you screw a top on until you hear a “click”. This releases a preservative into the tube to change its color and kill any live virus so it can’t infect anyone on its way to the lab. Then you place the tube into a bag they provide, drop it into a pre-paid UPS envelope, and take it to a UPS store. I would call your local UPS store and ask them what time Next Day Air leaves so you know exactly what time you need to get the test to the store. Once UPS drives it to the nearest airport, the test typically arrives at the lab the next day, and from that point you will have your results emailed directly to you within 12-72.

Vault makes it so easy since they know people are wanting to get fast results — especially those who are relying on that negative test result to travel, attend a concert, or get back to school. You’ll get email updates throughout the process, so you know once it’s arrived at the lab, once it’s begun processing, and have a good sense of how quickly you’ll have the result. But the vast majority of those results come within 24 hours of arriving at lab.

For those people who are worried about having their test result in time, this is really where doing a Vault at-home test is helpful. I would recommend ordering your test a few weeks in advance. The tests don’t expire, so you can order it and hold onto it until you need to take it. Then, when you’re 72 hours out from needing that result, take the test, and send it back. You can plan for weekends or holidays, making sure you take it directly to a UPS drop-off location. For example, if you are flying out at 10am PST on a Saturday, you will take your test at 10am PST on the Wednesday before.

The Difference Between Covid Tests

Understanding the difference between COVID tests that are currently available has never been more critical. With testing being mandated for many activities – including travel, theme parks, jobs, and even schools — chances are you and or your children will need a COVID test in the near future. While some testing is done as a preventative measure (for public health) other tests are more appropriate if you are ill and displaying COVID symptoms. Fortunately, Vault is there for you under either scenario.

PCR Tests

Generally speaking, if you don’t need an immediate result, have time to plan ahead, or need documentation for something like flying or attending an event, a PCR test is best.

The same is true if your child is notified about an exposure to someone who tested positive for COVID at school. In this case, your child is likely going to be in quarantine for at least a week anyway, so seeking out a rapid test doesn’t make much sense, especially if your child has no symptoms.

Note that a PCR test taken at the doctor’s office typically takes three or more days to produce a result. The labs they send these tests to do more than COVID testing (e.g. blood sugar or other blood tests), so it often takes much longer, sometimes up to a week! But at Vault, their lab partners specifically run COVID tests, so they are able to get you your results much more quickly!

Rapid Antigen Tests

If you or your child has symptoms, and you want something fast for peace of mind, a rapid test can be done. Rapid tests are great for parents who need to know whether a child with symptoms has COVID or just a run of the mill cold. You can confirm right away if you need to notify the school, classmates, or even family members about quarantining. However, if you want assurance with more validity, following up with a PCR test is recommended, even if the test is negative. In fact, many schools won’t accept a rapid test for a child with cold symptoms to come back to school. Instead, they require a negative PCR test to return.

Rapid Antigen Tests can be bought at the drugstore or pharmacy and offer a great way to get some results within 15-20 minutes. It allows you to know, with about 80-85 percent certainty, whether your child is sick with COVID or simply a cold. Knowing at that moment whether that cold is actually COVID can allow you to notify close contacts and begin quarantine. And given that your child will likely not be attending school while sick anyway, getting that antigen test result provides you the quick result you want and need in that moment.

The New Vaccine for 5–11-Year-Old Kids

The FDA just authorized COVID vaccines for children ages 5-11. So, does that make testing less important? The quick answer is no. Testing is one of the best tools we have to keep people safe until we reach the point where the majority of the population is vaccinated. Testing is going to be the way we ensure that people aren’t carrying COVID into the workplace, schools, or passing along to immunocompromised people who can’t or choose not to get the vaccine for some reason.

Ultimately, schools will need to make decisions about whether they’ll mandate vaccines for children, or what the protocol will be for quarantining when it comes to vaccinated children being exposed to someone sick with COVID. Until those protocols are updated, it is safe to assume that most schools are going to stick with the rules they have now. That means continuing with ongoing testing and requiring negative results after getting sick or exposed to SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19).

What makes Vault’s COVID tests so Unique and Preferred?

One of the most unique aspects of Vault’s COVID test is that it provides the user with 98% accuracy from the comfort of home, and the turnaround time is much quicker than relying on healthcare systems that are already overwhelmed. People also really like Vault because it’s a saliva test. It’s easy to spit into a tube. It’s less invasive and more comfortable than the nasal swabs.

But a test’s effectiveness does not depend on whether it’s saliva or nasal. You can have a PCR that’s saliva or nasal. And you can have a rapid test that’s saliva or nasal. The method you choose is really a personal preference around comfort and ease. What matters in terms of your results is whether you’re doing a PCR or rapid test, since a PCR test is always more accurate.

The bottom line is that any test you take should be approved or authorized by the FDA. Any legitimate test will either be FDA-approved, or have what’s called an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). So, always make sure whatever test you’re taking has one of those attached to it.

Vault Health Works with Companies and Corporations

Vault Health works with thousands of companies all over the country including JetBlue, Hawaiian Airlines, 3M, General Motors, Driscolls fruit, and the Clorox Company. Early on, they worked with airlines who wanted to make sure travel was safe. But then they started working with companies that needed to make sure grocery store workers had access to regular testing. In some states, like Wisconsin, Minnesota, or New Mexico, they partner with health departments to provide testing to anyone in the state, either through an at-home program or through community clinics. While a lot of people simply order tests from Vault, a lot of their work is actually setting up and running in-person clinics for thousands of people to visit every day. They handle everything from the logistics of setting up, testing, data, sharing results with people and the health department, staffing — all of it.

More recently, Vault has begun working with businesses that are looking to bring their employees back to work safely. The Biden administration has also been talking about imposing vaccine and testing mandates, which would require all U.S. companies with 100 or more employees to ensure that their employees are either vaccinated, or that they undergo weekly testing. Unvaccinated employees would need to produce negative results in order to show up to work. This is a big challenge for employers, so Vault is working with them on a turnkey COVID testing solution that does a few things. First, they collect and verify everyone’s vaccination status. Second, they send tests each week to all unvaccinated employees. Third, they make that data available to employers via a dashboard, so they always have a real-time look at their employees’ vaccine and testing status. Essentially, they take that burden off the employer and provide them with a compliant solution.

Vault also works with the states of Minnesota, New Mexico, Wisconsin, Wyoming, the City of New York, Rutgers University, and AstraZeneca.

Vault Health Works with Schools

In addition to companies and public health, Vault works with a lot of schools, from K-12 through higher education. The Ohio State was one of their first educational clients, where they worked to ensure that every student was tested before they returned to campus. Today, Vault still works with The Ohio State, as well as Penn State, Kent State, Princeton, Harvard, University of Georgia, and Purdue. A lot of these colleges tell students that after they go home for summer break, or holidays or between semesters, they need to have proof of a negative PCR test before they return to campus. Other colleges had Vault run testing clinics on-site for any students or staff at any time.

Where can Parents order a Vault Health Covid Test?

To order a test, visit: VaultHealth.com/covid

Vault Health is More Than Just COVID Testing

Vault delivers Telehealth services through their three business divisions: clinical diagnostics, clinical research, and clinical care.

Clinical Diagnostics Division

Within their clinical diagnostics division, Vault does everything from healthcare screening, testing (including COVID, STI, gut, and blood testing), logistics management, sample collection and data management, insurance billing, and health reporting. They also do workplace screenings, including alcohol and drug testing, background checks, and more for many regulated industries. Vault Health also began as a men’s health company and so they still provide care to those patients.

Clinical Research Division

Within their clinical research division, they specialize in end-to-end decentralized, virtual clinical trials management for Pharma, Biotech, and Medtech. They are engaged in more than a dozen active trials with a couple dozen more in the pipeline.

Clinical Care Division

Their clinical care division is still in its early stages. They want to provide digital-first patient care for the most prevalent and costly chronic conditions and diseases. For example, they been working with one of their partners, Sibly, to provide on-demand mental health services. As a licensed therapist, I couldn’t be happier about this new division!