Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported that COVID-19 test kits from Vault Health and Everlywell are both available to DoorDash customers in Baltimore. Baltimore customers can purchase the Everlywell test kit on the DoorDash app, but the Vault Health test is unavailable on the app in this area. This article has been edited to reflect the correct information.
Baltimore residents can now get a COVID-19 test kit delivered to their door by ordering one on DoorDash.
The delivery app, primarily used for food orders, announced on Monday that it has partnered with two medical testing companies, Vault Health and Everlywell, to give people the option of getting tested for COVID-19 at home.
“COVID-19 testing will continue to play a critical role as businesses and schools begin to re-open across the US. Tests that can be taken at home and mailed to a lab offer even more convenience to customers as they eliminate the need to make a trip to a testing facility, or wait in long lines at the pharmacy or grocery store,” DoorDash officials said in a blog post.
Currently, only the Everlywell test kit is available to Baltimore customers on the DoorDash app, a DoorDash spokesperson told Baltimore Fishbowl on Wednesday.
Everlywell and Vault Health also allow people to order test kits directly from their websites.
Vault Health offers a saliva test kit for $119. Meanwhile, Everlywell’s $109 kit involves a lower nasal swab that Everlywell describes as “gentle” and “noninvasive” on its website.
Both kits may be eligible for reimbursement through health insurance, but customers should consult their provider for specific information.
After an individual receives a Vault Health test kit, a Vault medical practitioner will supervise the saliva sample collection over video. Supervision is not required for the Everlywell test kit, DoorDash officials said.
Both Vault Health and Everlywell estimate that customers will receive their results 24-48 hours after the sample arrives at the lab via overnight delivery.
“Vault makes diagnostic testing easy, comfortable, and very fast across the U.S.,” the company’s founder and CEO Jason Feldman said in a statement. “Our partnership with DoorDash unlocks same-day access to our easy to collect saliva COVID test, allowing a patient to spit into a tube and receive their results in 24 hours to get them back to travel, work, school, and family time.”
The at-home delivery model will ensure that more people can get the COVID-19 testing they need without having to leave their home, said Dr. Marisa Cruz, Head of Clinical Affairs at Everlywell.
“As many as 30 percent of people skip doctor’s appointments because they don’t have a reliable way of getting there. The fact that you can now get a kit delivered to your door in hours, quickly collect a sample and drop your kit in the mail, and then receive an accurate COVID-19 diagnosis and speak to a physician about next steps in as little as 24 hours later is a significant step forward for public health,” Cruz, who is also a former Senior Medical Advisor for Digital Health for the Food and Drug Administration, said in a statement.
People can order either kit from a limited number of locations, including in Baltimore, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Minneapolis, and Phoenix.
Those cities are home to DashMarts, delivery-only convenience stores that DoorDash launched in August 2020. The stores offer items from local restaurants as well as household essentials, a DoorDash spokesperson said on Tuesday. The company plans to add more locations in coming months.
