US health body the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has launched a new website to make it easier to report a positive or negative COVID-19 test result.
MakeMyTestCount.org, developed through NIH’s Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) Tech program, allows users to anonymously report the results of any brand of at-home COVID-19 test.
COVID-19 testing remains an essential tool as the United States heads into the holiday season and people navigate respiratory viruses. While taking a rapid COVID-19 test has become commonplace, test results are not often reported. COVID-19 test results provide valuable data that public health departments can use to assess the needs and modify the responses in the local community, the state or the nation.
Laboratory tests have a well-established technology system for sharing test results. RADx Tech has been working on a system to standardise test reporting for at-home tests in a secure manner. The MakeMyTestCount.org website is built on this system for logging test results.
The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) supported development of MakeMyTestCount.org through the RADx Tech program.
The RADx initiative was launched in April 2020, to speed innovation in the development, commercialisation, and implementation of technologies for COVID-19 testing. The initiative has four programmes: RADx Tech, RADx Advanced Technology Platforms, RADx Underserved Populations and RADx Radical. It leverages the existing NIH Point-of-Care Technology Research Network. The RADx initiative partners with federal agencies, including the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health, Department of Defense, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, and US Food and Drug Administration.