Take advantage of our On-site Testing Service! COVID-19 rapid tests are easily administered at your location and we can even provide a fully-vetted, qualified medical professional to conduct the tests for you if needed.
HB NEXT utilizes COVIBLOCK COVID-19 rapid test kits that are authorized for emergency use by the US FDA – getting your employees tested and back to work in minutes.
The COVIBLOCK Rapid Test is fast and easy, with 95% overall accuracy.
If you need more than 25,000 test kits, please contact us by phone at 770-619-1669 to place your order.
What type of test is this?
CoviBlockTM Rapid Diagnostic tests look for antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid19 in some patients. Antibody tests are also sometimes called serology tests. They find both IgM and IgG antibodies to the virus.
Is this a test where we need to stick swabs up people’s noses and wait for days and all that?
Nope. This test requires only a simple finger stick. One drop of blood transferred from the finger to the test cassette with the pipette (included), and a drop of solution, and that’s all it takes. Results in ten minutes right there on the cassette.
Do I need medical personnel on site to do these tests?
We recommend setting up medical supervision rather than having actual doctors or nurses etc. doing the testing in person. Give us a call and we’ll help you set up SOPs and remote supervision, or, where it makes sense, we can arrange for onsite medical personnel too.
What’s in the box?
Each box contains 20 test cassettes, along with the buffer solution (also called diluent) and pipettes for transferring the sample from finger to cassette. We include lancets and alcohol swabs too, for prepping and pricking the finger.
Why does HB Next recommend antibody testing?
Because of the combination of accuracy, speed, and amount information that can be gained. These tests are very accurate and reliable despite that you don’t require any additional analytical equipment and therefore don’t need to send samples anywhere else; the results appear in minutes right there on the test cassette. Further, the results are not limited to yes or no. Instead, each test gives any one of four different results: negative, or three different distinct positive results: IgM only, IgM and IgG, or IgG only, each having a different meaning.
Why doesn’t HB Next recommend “PCR” testing? Isn’t that better?
Mainly because it takes longer and costs more so it’s not suitable for a screening test at the workplace. In addition, PCR testing has been in the news lately for producing very large numbers of false positives because the analytical process can be overly sensitive, giving “positive” results for levels of virus or viral fragments that are far too low to get anyone sick or perhaps even cause detectable reaction in the body. Where an antibody test is positive, however, it is clear that the body is already reacting. In some cases employers may recommend PCR testing as a follow-up.
What’s the difference between IgM and IgG?
IgM antibodies are the first that your body produces as an infection takes hold. IgG is produced later, while IgM and the infection are still present and your body is fighting it off. Later, once the infection has passed, only IgG antibodies remain. Best information to date indicates they remain for three or four months.
What about sensitivity and specificity?
All antibody tests are evaluated on at least two performance characteristics: specificity and sensitivity. Specificity pertains to whether the test is finding antibodies for this particular novel coronavirus, as opposed to false positives from some other virus, like a common cold (some of which also result from coronaviruses). Sensitivity pertains to how early in the infection cycle the test will find the target antibodies. This US National Institutes of Health and other third parties found CoviBlock Rapid Diagnostic tests are extremely high on both measures.
Why is IgM sensitivity in particular so important for employers?
The first antibody reaction to this infection is IgM, so employers want antibody tests that are especially sensitive to that early indicator. A false negative for the presence of IgM could allow an employee to attend work normally where the virus might spread to colleagues, in whom further false negatives could make things even worse. Researchers from Johns Hopkins and Harvard found Clarity CoviBlock Rapid Diagnostics are unique in that that they are even more sensitive to IgM than to IgG.
I keep hearing that I can’t rely on resupply of tests, or that tests get “pulled” by the FDA. How do I know I can keep getting these?
With a core competency employee in employee safety and health, HB Next chose these tests with great care. They’re not from China, with all the supply chain and quality uncertainties that entails. Besides, the vast majority of Chinese tests are not legal to use in the USA anyway and even if they were, we found a total lack of support for them. Instead, HB Next aligned itself with Clarity Diagnostics. Clarity designed these tests here in America and supports us, and you, as a passionate focus while manufacturing the tests in a state of the art medical device facility in Finland. Capacity is several hundred thousand per day. The FDA has already authorized their use, supported by rigorous and thorough third party evaluations including by the US National Institutes of Health. These high quality tests are here to stay and HB Next and Clarity will be beside you as long as these tests are needed.
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