Kroger Health, the health care division of the grocery store chain Kroger, has announced plans to start offering tests to tell if an individual has antibodies of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which would indicate if a person has previously had the virus and may have some immunity to it. Licensed Kroger health care staff would administer the finger-prick blood sample antibody test on site with plans to return results within about 15 minutes.
The FDA-authorized rapid antibody tests will initially be available only at Kroger pharmacies in California (where the stores operate under the brand name Ralphs) and in Michigan, with plans to be available at all Kroger pharmacies and clinics by the end of November 2020. The tests, which are supplied by Whitmire Medical, will cost consumers $25. Individuals who believe they may have previously been infected with COVID-19 and are not currently experiencing symptoms are eligible for the test.
Kroger Health’s rapid antibody tests will be conducted using the Assure COVID-19 IgG/IgM Rapid Test Device, a rapid lateral flow chromatographic immunoassay (configured like a blood sugar test) to detect antibodies to SARS-CoV-2. The test was first authorized by the FDA for emergency use in July and then further authorized for a broader point-of-care use in September.
Kroger Health, the health care division of The Kroger Co., has more than 2,200 pharmacies and 220 clinics in 35 states serving more than 14 million customers. Kroger employs about 500,000 individuals who serve more than 11 million customers each day through its grocery stores. Established in 1986, Whitmire Medical specializes in point of care diagnostic solutions for pharmacy and IDN applications.
OPEN MINDS last reported on Kroger’s COVID-19 testing “Kroger Health Receives FDA Emergency Use Authorization For Its COVID-19 Test Home Collection” published July 13, 2020. https://www.openminds.com/market-intelligence/bulletins/kroger-health-receives-fda-emergency-use-authorization-for-its-covid-19-test-home-collection-kit/
This was reported by Kroger on October 28, 2020.
Contact information: The Kroger Co., 1014 Vine Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202-1100; 513-762-4000; Website: www.thekrogerco.com
