How Covid-19 self-administered nasal swab testing works

EL PASO, Texas -- Self-administered coronavirus testing is now available in El Paso for those who qualify. Thanks to a partnership with Walmart and county officials, drive-thru testing sites is being provided at three stores across the city, three days a week.

According to eTrueNorth, the private lab partnering with Walmart to provide the tests, here's how it works:

• First, you're handed a swab and a tube
• Next, open the swab and remove from the pouch
• Tilt head back slightly, insert swab into left nostril, rotate twice and hold for a 15 seconds
• Repeat on the other nostril
• Once you're down, place the swab into the tube, seal and return to heath care worker.

Nasal swab tests are typically done by a health care worker and can be quite uncomfortable, but that's not the case with self-administered test.

"The amount of discomfort that you’re going to have to take the sample will be minimized and you should be able to get the same accuracy in the results about whether you have an infection or not," said Dr. Armando Meza, an infectious disease expert with Texas Tech Physicians of El Paso.

According to a study led by UnitedHealth Group, the self-administered test is just as "effective in identifying Covid-19 infections as the current clinician-collected test," adding that results of the self-administered tests where consistent with those of the clinician-collected tests. The tests also reduces exposure for health care workers

Dr. Meza said the difference between a "deep test sample" and the self-administered samples has to do with the technology used by laboratories to identify Covid-19. He said in order to see results, the test sample does not need to be large or deep.

"This is the advantage of sample collection from the front of the nose that the technology that you’re going to use now is going to be less likely to give you a false positive meaning that even though the test is negative you still have an infection. The reliability on testing is better because the technology on testing has improved,” Dr. Meza said.

Those interested in being tested need to visit DoINeedaCOVID19test.com to determine if you are eligible for testing.