A COVID testing station at the front of Islamorada’s Founders Park is offering free oral swabs to residents who need a test and quick results.
Testing startup company Curative, based in California, formed earlier in the year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic that spread quickly throughout the U.S. Each state received federal funding to provide COVID-19 testing, and Curative was chosen by the state of Florida as the contractor to provide the service.
Paul Cardwell is a resident of Islamorada who’s working with Curative to provide testing in the Keys seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Cardwell said they’ll likely expand their hours an extra two hours so residents who might have been in contact with a positive case or need a test before flying can swing by.
While appointments can be made at curative.com, Cardwell said people can also walk up, scan a QR code and fill out an application so they can be administered the test. Around 100 tests are offered daily.
“Those who are not comfortable with technology or have a flip phone, there are Ipads on site to assist in the application process,” he said.
Curative provides the RT-PCR (real-time reverse polymerase chain reaction) test. Cardwell said it’s the test people need to fly domestically or internationally, or if someone’s been contacted by the health department for possible exposure.
The oral-fluid swab testing is an alternative method to nasopharyngeal swabs in testing for COVID-19. The observed and directed self-collected oral fluid swab involves having the person cough first, which releases virus, if it’s present, from the upper and lower respiratory tract. The virus is then caught in the saliva; the patient then swabs the inside of their cheeks and the roofs of their mouths.
Once a person finishes the test, it’s shipped overnight to Curative’s laboratory in Washington, D.C. Cardwell said the lab runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“We ship every day so tests get there the next morning,” he said. “You can expect results sent to your phone via text or email you provided.”
Cardwell said Curative will likely be around a few months to provide testing.
