UNH UnitedHealth Group Inc

By Matt Grossman

UnitedHealth Group said Wednesday its research showed that self-collected Covid-19 testing is as effective as testing by doctors.

The study, carried out on 500 patients at facilities of a UnitedHealth subsidiary in Washington, found the tests accurately detected the virus in 90% of infected patients, similar to tests done by healthcare providers.

The self-administered test is also less invasive, UnitedHealth said, requiring a swab from the front of the patient's nose. Typical Covid-19 tests require a swab collected deep inside a patient's nasal cavity.

"Making simple, patient-administered testing widely available will substantially improve testing efficiency, while protecting health care workers," Dr. Yuan-Po Tu, the study's leader, said.

Write to Matt Grossman at matt.grossman@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 25, 2020 14:25 ET (18:25 GMT)

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