FAQ's

COVID-19 / COVID PreCheck

COVID Precheck is a digital “health passport” which includes results of recent self-assessment tests, negative Covid-19 test, positive antibody test, and will eventually include proof of vaccination. You can take the COVID-19 Self-assessment Test daily and attest that you have not come in contact with someone infected with COVID-19 or that you have any symptoms related to COVID-19. If you have consulted with a licensed physician regarding COVID-19, it can be a stamp from your physician that you have been tested for COVID-19 and using a QR-code on your phone you can show the status of your test results to whomever you choose in a private and secure manner.

You can use many features of the COVID PreCheck web app without registering including searching for doctors and test labs that provide COVID-19 related consultation and testing services. All you need is your phone number to sign up. If you take the Self-assessment Test, the app will ask for your name and date of birth the first time. This is so you can associate the resulting COVID PreCheck status with you. If you want a doctor to attest your COVID PreCheck status based on diagnostic testing or immunity testing, you will need to enter the last four digits of your Social Security Number (SSN) so a licensed healthcare professional can identify you and assign a COVID PreCheck status to you.

No. COVID PreCheck is not a contact tracing app. It does not save any data related to your location or which places you have visited or who you have interacted with. When the app does ask for location permission it is for the purpose of finding doctors, test labs or other COVID PreCheck users near you.

This is a short 30 second questionnaire to self report symptoms and any exposure you have had to others who might have COVID-19 infection. It is based on CDC guidelines for self checking for an acute infection. Many employers and businesses are initiating daily COVID-19 self-assessment tests to create a safe environment on their premise. With the COVID PreCheck app, you can let employers and businesses verify that you have taken the Self-assessment Test that day by scanning a secure QR-code on your phone that you can choose to share with them when asked.

The COVID-19 Self-assessment Test takes 30 seconds to complete and can be taken as many times as needed. We recommend taking the test at least once a day. Most businesses and employers would like to see the results of a self-assessment test completed that day. The COVID PreCheck app displays the last time you took the Self-assessment Test as part of your status.

The COVID-19 Self-assessment Test is based on self reporting COVID-19 symptoms and any exposure you have had to others who might have COVID-19 infection. It is based on CDC guidelines for self checking for an acute infection. In addition, the COVID PreCheck app will help you find physicians and test labs if the test results indicate the need for further clinical assessment. The COVID-19 Self-assessment Test allows frequent screening for acute infection and provides information about further measures that may be needed including testing or consultation with a physician.

The results of the Self-assessment Test are available to you, your physician if you choose to consult with a physician, and to the business or employer if you choose to have your QR-code scanned by them. If you choose to activate Virtual Handshake in your app you can also let your friends who are nearby see you have taken the Self-assessment Test provided they have also activated Virtual Handshake in their COVID PreCheck app.

Diagnostic tests like Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) or Antigen nucleic acid check for acute infection of COVID-19 i.e. you have the disease at that time even though you may or may not have any symptoms. Immunity testing looks for the presence of IgG antibodies in your blood which typically show up after you have recovered from COVID-19 infection. IgG levels may reflect your body’s immune response and protection if you have been exposed to COVID-19 infection and recovered.

People infected with COVID-19 have reported a wide range of symptoms ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. If you have a fever, cough or other symptoms, you might have COVID-19. Most people have mild illness and are able to recover at home. If you think you may have been exposed to COVID-19, contact your healthcare provider. You can find a healthcare provider near you by using the COVID PreCheck App. Your healthcare provider will determine if you need to be tested for COVID-19 infection and can also help you find a testing facility. A number of healthcare providers listed in the COVID PreCheck app also provide video consultations so you don’t have to visit a doctor’s office.

COVID-19 infection Test is a nose or throat swab at a qualified and FDA approved lab.

Acute COVID-19 infection detection is by FDA Emergency Use Authorized COVID-19 molecular assays from respiratory specimens. These tests can be somewhat expensive and most insurances do cover the cost of consultation and tests if your physician orders it. You can find a healthcare provider near you by using the COVID PreCheck App. In any case you should check your insurance benefits for coverage. An IgG serum antibody test is a blood draw that your physician can order to see if you have had a recent infection and possible immunity. Until we have a vaccine, please keep checking CDC websites as the guidance on serology testing and possible immunity is still uncertain and changing constantly.

COVID PreCheck is given by combination of a Self-assessment Test, lab test results and consultations by a  physician if appropriate. We have put several measures in place to ensure that when someone is given COVID PreCheck, that certification is authentic and secure. Physicians have to order a COVID-19 test from a qualified and FDA approved lab, interpret the results, and submit the test report as part of supporting evidence. Consumer status is stored on a secure platform and only they and their physician have access to these records. In many cases a lab test or physician consultation is not required and evidence of having taken a self-assessment test may be adequate for display as a safe status.

There are two possible ways to acquire immunity to Coronavirus. Immunity can be acquired as a result of a past infection due to Coronavirus. In some cases people have mild or no major symptoms associated with COVID-19, but still acquire immunity to Coronavirus. When someone gets infected with Coronavirus, their body mounts an immune response to fight the virus. The immune response is in the form of antibodies which show up in most people’s blood more than a week after they start to feel sick, when symptoms may already be waning.  Immunity can also be acquired with a vaccine. Currently, there are no known FDA approved vaccines available for COVID-19.

If you have antibodies for COVID-19 and are immune, it is possibly unlikely that you can get reinfected, thus giving you peace of mind. It may also mean you cannot pass the virus on to your family members, friends or colleagues. The science and guidance on immunity is constantly evolving so please refer to CDC guidelines for more information. Current CDC guidelines for returning to work after you have tested positive for COVID-19 infection suggest retesting is not necessary if there are no symptoms, and you are unlikely to get reinfected or infect others for three months since onset of symptoms.

It is quite possible that the results of your blood test for COVID-19 Immune Response Test come out negative and your physician cannot certify that you are immune to Coronavirus. However, wouldn’t you be better equipped with that information? Wouldn’t it help you in practicing social distancing and taking other measures to protect yourself and others from this deadly virus? And, based on your lifestyle, it can also help you decide how quickly you should get the vaccine when it comes out. The science and guidance on immunity is constantly evolving so please refer to CDC guidelines for more information. Current testing of IgG has limited value, however more clinical trials are ongoing and newer tests for antibodies and efforts on development of vaccines are in progress.

Yes, until the availability of a vaccine, the only way you can get immunity to COVID-19 is by surviving a COVID-19 infection. If you are asymptomatic, It is possible that you may not even know or remember that you have had an infection from COVID-19. The science and guidance on immunity is constantly evolving so please refer to CDC guidelines for more information. Current CDC guidelines suggest that if you have had a COVID-19 infection, you are unlikely to get reinfected for three months or unlikely to be infectious to others for three months since the onset of symptoms.

You could, once a vaccine is available. For now, it is uncertain when a vaccine will be available. Immunity by vaccine may also be time limited and may wane over time requiring a booster vaccine shot. Based on public health announcements, your physician will make recommendations for vaccine based immunity and provide guidance as clinical trials progress and research evolces in this area.

Yes. You don’t know if you have enough immunity unless your IgG levels (antibodies) are measured with a blood test. Currently most labs are not measuring quantitative levels of IgG, so you may just get a positive or negative result. Some University hospitals and clinical trials may test for quantitative levels of IgG or preselect patients who have survived a COVID-19 infection to be plasma donors with antibodies in their serum to treat other patients. The science and guidance on immunity is constantly evolving so please refer to CDC guidelines for more information. Current CDC guidelines also suggest that if you have been tested positive for COVID-19 infection, you are not likely to get reinfection or be infectious to others for three months from the onset of your symptoms.

The Self-assessment Test is a screening tool. Often, you may not need to consult a physician or undergo lab testing if the Self-assessment Test does not indicate COVID-19 symptoms or exposure. Lab results for virus testing for acute infection and viral antibodies can be complex to interpret and need clinical correlation and professional interpretation by your physician. With new tests on the horizon for antibodies and with vaccines in development, you are likely to benefit from consulting a physician. You can find a physician near you by using the COVID PreCheck App. A number of doctors also provide video consultations so you don’t have to visit a doctor’s office. Once tested, ask your healthcare provider to update your status on COVID PreCheck portal so you can present your QR-code as proof of COVID-19 test status.

Community gatherings and social distancing guidelines will require that we do our part in not spreading the Coronavirus. For your safety and the safety of others, there may be separate zones, norms and guidelines for social distancing. Most businesses and employers are screening attendees and a self-assessment tool that can be readily displayed will make the process efficient. Based on whether you have immunity to COVID-19 or not, or if you are at high risk for COVID related complications, or whether you have been tested positive for COVID-19 infection will impact your safety and the safety of others. You may come across areas that are deemed to be “safe zones” or COVID PreCheck zones.

The Self-assessment Test in COVID PreCheck app allows you to screen for a need for physician consultation. We encourage you to call your physician’s office and discuss the issue with your physician. You will be able to search for your physician in the COVID PreCheck app. Please ask your physician to visit the physician portal for giving COVID PreCheck and open a free account if they have not done so already. If for some reason your physician is unwilling to consult with you and give you COVID PreCheck, we can assist you in finding physicians in your state who can give you COVID PreCheck. Using the COVID PreCheck app, you can even search for physicians in our network who offer COVID PreCheck consultations using Telemedicine so you don’t have to risk going to a doctor’s office in person.

You must always follow CDC guidelines on social distancing and public health recommendations. Being able to show your COVID PreCheck status will likely reduce your chances of being exposed to Coronavirus and also reduce your chances of being infectious to others. You might be placed in “safe zones” where COVID PreChecks are being done. If you are at high risk status for COVID-19 complications, your COVID PreCheck status will encourage others to take special precautions. The Self-assessment tool makes it quick and efficient to screen and triage yourself prior to any social or work engagement.

Current regulations require a physician to follow CDC and public health guidelines when ordering COVID-19 tests and interpreting them. You may be able to get tested for acute COVID-19 infection without a physician order. However, interpretation of COVID-19 test results and their implications requires complex decisions that only your physician can make.

The science is still evolving for COVID-19. There is no known vaccine currently available for COVID-19. Once a vaccine is available, it is not clear how long the protection will last. It is unknown if you will need periodic checks for your antibody levels and a booster dose. Scientists all over the world are working on finding answers to these questions. When a vaccine is available and you get vaccinated, you will be able to show proof of immunization just as easily using the COVID PreCheck app on your phone.

As part of their civic duty and based on guidance from public health officials, businesses have an obligation to keep the spread of COVID infection in check and practice social distancing. Many businesses cannot survive if they have to put up with 25% occupancy. We believe if we help businesses create safe zones they will be able to increase their occupancy rates dramatically. We are helping several industries including travel, entertainment, education, and employers and businesses to create safe zones where they can efficiently situate people who have COVID PreCheck. If you come across a business that is still not accepting COVID PreCheck, you can refer that business to us from the COVID PreCheck web app. We will contact the business and provide them with all the necessary tools to verify customers who have COVID PreCheck.  A COVID safe zone for employees and customers reduces the risk of spreading infection and assures peace of mind all around.

We are helping several industries including travel, entertainment, education, and employers and businesses to create safe zones where they can efficiently situate people who have COVID PreCheck. Many businesses cannot survive if they have to put up with 25% occupancy. We believe if we help businesses create safe zones they will be able to increase their occupancy rates dramatically. If you come across a business that is still not accepting COVID PreCheck, you can refer that business to us from the COVID PreCheck web application. We will contact the business and provide them with all the necessary tools to verify customers who have COVID PreCheck.

We are working with merchants in several industries to verify and accept customers who have COVID PreCheck. If you come across a business that is charging a “COVID fee”, you should refer that business to us from the web application. We will contact the business and work with them to reduce or eliminate the “COVID fee” for customers who have COVID Precheck.

No. We are a commercial entity with a platform that provides the highest levels of security and integrity so we can assure the authenticity of consumers who have COVID PreCheck. We are doing our bit to help the country reopen safely and smoothly so we can take steps to go back to “old normal”.

You can activate Virtual Handshake on your app and it will look for other people who have also activated Virtual Handshake. You will be able to see their COVID PreCheck status and they will be able to see yours. You will be able to see and share one of these statuses 1) You have taken the Self-assessment Test and you don’t have any of the COVID-19 symptoms or exposure,  2) You have been certified by a licensed healthcare professional as Safe to Return to Work/Community, or 3) Vaccinated (when a vaccine is available).

When you activate Virtual Handshake on your app you can always inactivate it by clicking on the ‘Stop sharing’ button. Before you activate Virtual Handshake, you also have a choice of keeping it active for 15 minutes or one hour or eight hours. You have complete control over how long you want to share your COVID PreCheck status with people who are nearby and have activated Virtual Handshake.

No. Only those who have activated Virtual Handshake on their COVID PreCheck app will be able to see your status provided you have also activated Virtual Handshake on your COVID PreCheck app.

You will be able to see people who are within a 50 feet radius and who have activated Virtual Handshake on their COVID PreCheck app provided that you have also activated Virtual Handshake.

Whenever you refresh the app it syncs your location information with other people’s location around you who have also activated Virtual Handshake on their COVID PreCheck app.

No. COVID PreCheck is not a contact tracing app. It does not remember your location or where you have been or with who you did a Virtual Handshake. The information that is stored is transitory and is only active for the duration you specify in the COVID PreCheck app.

By the time you are reading this it is possible that we might have already added this functionality. If not, stay tuned!