SITKA – SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) Vice President and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Elliot Bruhl urges residents of Southeast to be wary of purchasing COVID-19 tests on the internet, as illegitimate tests are currently available. Tests not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and authorized for diagnostic use under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) are dangerous and unreliable as they do not focus on diagnostic testing.
“In this time of pandemic, our legitimate medical need is for diagnostic testing – that is testing which reliably tells us if a patient is currently infected so that we can take action to care for them and to protect the community,” said Bruhl. “The SEARHC COVID-19 tests are evaluated by the FDA and authorized by the EUA.”
Tests in question were developed in other countries to determine immunity to COVID-19 post-infection, not for diagnostic testing. If used as a diagnostic test, there is a strong likelihood of false positives, along with unreliable results in proving negative after exposure. These inaccuracies could endanger individuals and their communities.
SEARHC has a strong supply of COVID-19 testing kits and is currently offering the test in all clinics to any community member who meets the screening criteria, which is fever and cough, or shortness of breath. To contact the clinic nearest you, visit covid19.searhc.org.
For a full list of FDA approved COVID-19 tests, please visit:
For more information on the coronavirus, visit covid19.searhc.org or call the SEARHC COVID-19 Hotline at 907.966.8799.