ClearStar Launches of COVID-19 Testing Service for Employers
May 21, 2020 at 02:00 am
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ClearStar announced the launch of a testing service aimed at supporting employers with their COVID-19 return-to-work planning and keeping their workforce safe. The new service is provided by ClearStar's Medical Information Services ("MIS") business through Clinical Reference Laboratory, Inc. ("CRL"), one of the largest privately held clinical testing laboratories in the US, and it includes both an antibody and a diagnostic test. In the first instance, employees receive the CRL Clear™ kit, which is a dried blood spot finger prick test that is used to identify the presence, or lack, of COVID-19 antibodies in the blood, which are produced by the body in response to the virus. This includes IgA, IgM and IgG antibodies, which are produced at different stages of the immune system response. A positive test result indicates that the employee has been previously infected by COVID-19 and has developed antibodies that might provide the employee with immunity. The CRL Clear™ kit is based on the Roche Elecsys® Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody test, which has received the CE mark and U.S. Food and Drug Administration Emergency Use Authorization. Employees testing positive for the CRL Clear™ test, or those initially displaying symptoms, receive the CRL Rapid Response™ kit, which is a saliva-based molecular diagnostic test to determine if the virus is active. Those testing positive, meaning they are currently infected with COVID-19, will automatically be contacted by a licenced doctor to discuss the results and next steps. Any employee testing positive at either stage also receives instructions on self-isolation. The Company's customers are able to order the tests using the same process as for their existing ClearStar drug and clinical screening programmes. Test collection kits are shipped either in bulk to the employer or direct to the employees (or job applicants), with the samples being self-collected by the employee and sent back to the CRL lab for testing. Employees also complete a questionnaire ahead of receiving the test collection kit and subsequently register the test collection kit online. The results of the tests are reported via the ClearStar platform within 24 hours, on average, of the samples being received by the lab and are provided in the same format, based on employer preference, as the customer receives their other drug or background screening reports from the Company.
ClearStar Inc. (ClearStar) is a technology and service provider to the background check industry, supporting background screening companies, employers and employees with their recruitment and employment application decisions. ClearStar provides employment intelligence to its clients through a suite of information technology (IT) applications for day-to-day use in their business. Its technology includes ScreenMeNow, ClearMD, ClearID and ClearConnect. ScreenMeNow helps users verify candidates by allowing them to enter info and e-signature consent from mobile devices. ClearMD streamlines the drug and clinical test ordering process, which enables to eliminate the errors and hassles of paper forms. ClearID uses on-the-spot identity (ID) validation and facial recognition to make hiring contract labor a snap. With ClearContact, users can organize and schedule their contract workers in one place.