The Curative test is considered a painless alternative to the nasopharyngeal swab, pictured above.

Turn your head to the left and cough twice. No, this isn’t a test for a hernia, rather a new collection method to test for COVID-19 called Curative. It is FDA-approved, self-administered, free and available in the Keys. Best of all, it has none of the unpleasant characteristics of the nasopharyngeal swab that features a far-reaching swab that invades the nasal and sinus cavity. And, because the patient and administrator don’t come into close contact, it’s safer too.

“Our unique, self-collected oral fluid swab COVID-19 test offers a painless, simple option with quick (24 to 48 hour) results and no cost to patients,” said CEO and co-founder of Curative, Fred Turner. 

According to Curative, there are 8,000 testing sites nationwide. A search of the company’s web site shows a handful in South Florida, plus one on Big Pine Key at the Moose Lodge.  

The procedure is for the patient to cough multiple times to release the virus from the upper and lower respiratory tract, then swish the saliva around in his or her mouth. The patient then swirls the swab on the inside of both cheeks, underneath and on top of the tongue, the roof of the mouth and in between the teeth and gums.

Patients put the swab in a provided tube and give it to an employee. Results are sent in a day or two via text or email.

Curative’s test received emergency use authorization from the FDA in mid-April and has been widely used in places like Los Angeles and Chicago, as well as for testing NBA players and employees. Turner said his company’s clinical trials have found their oral fluid collection method to be 90% accurate in detecting COVID-19.

Curative has three labs — in California, Texas and Washington, D.C. The test is free and no insurance is necessary. 

The Keys kiosk is set up in the parking lot of the Moose Lodge on Big Pine Key and testing is available daily — either as a walk-up or by scheduling an appointment online. For more information, visit curative.com.  

Sara Matthis thinks community journalism is important, but not serious; likes weird and wonderful children (she has two); and occasionally tortures herself with sprint-distance triathlons, but only if she has a good chance of beating her sister.