ATLANTA — Two weeks ago, when Michaela Koert’s throat began to hurt and her lungs “kind of felt funny,” she hopped on her company’s online portal and ordered an at-home COVID test kit.

That was on a Saturday. By Tuesday, the 37-year-old East Atlanta woman had swabbed her nostrils and followed directions to place the specimen in a FedEx drop box. It was shipped to a Quest Diagnostics lab.

“If you don’t have a car, that’s going to be a problem,” Koert said. “So I think you could improve the process a little bit if there was a way to schedule a FedEx pickup at your house or to return it by mail.”

By the next Saturday, Koert had results. Beyond the timetable, she was satisfied.

“I’m surprised at the progress we’ve made in a year — that we have at-home test kits at all is really amazing,” Koert said Tuesday, reflecting on 2020. “But it’s insane that we’re stuck at home having to take these tests and mail them back.”

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As at-home testing options expand in the U.S., we’re beginning to see more options and varying concerns in metro Atlanta.

Quest Diagnostics is also running the new at-home test program through four metro Atlanta Walmart pharmacies. According to a Walmart news release this week, the process involves patients receiving a referral and appointment through the Quest online portal, driving into a pharmacy parking space and receiving the kit, taking it home to swab themselves, and then shipping it back to Quest.

Online, request a kit at www.MyQuestCOVIDTest.com.

Curbside pickup locations in metro Atlanta include:

• 1825 Rockbridge Road, Stone Mountain, GA 30087

• 4375 Lawrenceville Highway, Tucker, GA 30084

• 8424 Mall Parkway, Lithonia, GA 30038

• 3875 Mundy Mill Road, Oakwood, GA 30566

A Walmart spokeswoman said she could not offer further details. Quest did not respond to an inquiry regarding questions about program expansion, test kit quantities, costs and result delivery timetables.

While Koert found the at-home testing process simple, and prefers it to standing in line with people and risking exposure, some patients and medical experts express concern over the method.

“I need to make sure the results are legitimate,” said Yvonne Johnson, a Gwinnett County resident. “I need to make sure that I’m receiving the correct answer.”

“It isn’t a slam dunk that people are going to be able to know how to do the swab properly, and we’re really putting a lot of faith into a little pamphlet that’s going to come inside the kit and that all the kits are working properly,” added Dr. Jorge Cabellero, a Stanford University medical instructor and data analyst.

Cabellero also raised concerns about reporting methods tied to the latest at-home testing approval. Last week, the FDA introduced emergency use authorization for an all-in-one test that offers instant results without a lab.

It’s still unclear whether medical professionals have the resources to follow up with all patients and ensure results are reported to state governments, given the results are not streamlined through lab reporting methods. Georgia state health officials have said the EUA is still so new that reporting method logistics are not set in stone.

Cox Media Group