By: Mariah Ray, Public Policy and Partnerships Lead at DoorDash
In a recent Restaurant Advisory Council meeting, we heard first-hand from our partners that regular COVID-19 testing for on-premise employees has become an important part of operations as they prioritize the health and safety of their staff and customers. If a staff member tests positive for COVID, that can be a terrifying and worrisome experience for restaurants and employees. It can also mean restaurants face the serious reality of closing their doors temporarily, forgoing meaningful sales and revenue vital to keep their business afloat in the long term.
Testing comes with two main challenges: it’s expensive, with some PCR tests costing upwards of $125 per test, and it’s slow. Lab-based testing often means restaurants are waiting for results for anywhere from 2–7 days before they know whether they can operate safely again.
Stemming from this feedback, today, we are excited to announce that we’ve partnered with Cellex™ to make discounted qSARS-CoV-2 Rapid Antigen tests available to over 1,000 independent merchant partners with three locations or fewer.
Introducing our Partnership with Cellex™
In a first of its kind move in our industry, we’ve teamed up with Cellex™, an industry-leader specializing in point-of-care testing, to make 1,150 testing kits available to our U.S. merchant partners. Cellex™ was the first company to receive an FDA Emergency Use Authorization (“EUA”) for rapid COVID-19 antibody testing on April 1, 2020. On September 16, 2020 Cellex™ and Gauss announced an exclusive partnership to launch an at-home and point-of-care COVID-19 antigen test.
Beginning on Tuesday, February 16, DoorDash partner merchants with three locations or fewer will have access to an online order form to procure one discounted testing kit which will be available on a first-come-first-served basis.* Each self-contained kit includes 25 unique tests — 25 test cassettes, 25 swabs and 25 vials. The kits will be made available for $100 plus shipping and handling. No reader or lab equipment is required.
“In a concerted effort to protect our employees and customers, rapid antigen testing has been a lifesaver,” said Aaron Noveshen, CEO of Starbird Chicken in San Francisco. “In today’s environment, being able to keep your doors open even just one more day, means money back in your pocket to keep operations running for long term. We’ve spent over $20,000 on COVID-19 testing to date, so we appreciate the lengths DoorDash is going to provide this benefit for us.”
An informational email will be sent to eligible DoorDash restaurant partners on February 10 with details for applying for the kit. Upon approval, independent restaurant partners will be sent details on how to purchase testing kits. Please review our online FAQ here for more questions.
“As a small business owner and member of DoorDash’s Restaurant Advisory Council, this is a program we are very excited about,” says Benson Wang, CEO of SL Hospitality. “It’s essential that we come together as a community to rebuild San Francisco’s, and the country’s, vibrant food scene while staying keenly focused on the safety and wellbeing of our employees and guests.”
Rapid-Antigen Testing Can Help Provide a Peace of Mind
Experts agree that frequent testing was one of the most important ways to prevent the spread of COVID. Especially as new, more contagious variants emerge, rapid COVID antigen testing will be important in helping to control the spread of COVID-19. Rapid-antigen tests detect the presence of a specific viral protein, which implies current viral infection**.
“Frequent testing with fast turnaround times is essential to slowing the spread of this dangerous disease,” says Dr. Nupur Mehta, a COVID technical advisor***. “Using rapid tests like these can not only help to identify the disease, but provides peace of mind for both employees and customers that you are doing everything you can to ensure a safe working environment.”
While we are only able to provide a limited amount of subsidized tests, we will continue to explore the possibility of expanding this program and partnership in the future.
*Subsidized kits are available while supplies last only and will be fulfilled by Cellex on a first-come-first-serve basis in the order orders are received. Subsidized kits are limited to one kit per independent restaurant partner. Subsidized kits typically ship within 3–5 business days from the time of order. All sales are final. Additional unsubsidized test kits may be purchased via the same product page (Supplies also limited. These kits ship within 2–4 weeks.) Merchants may purchase an additional kit for $1,050 plus shipping and handling once supplies of subsidized kits are exhausted (supplies limited).
**Proper interpretation of both antigen test results, and confirmatory testing when indicated, is important for accurate clinical management of patients with suspected COVID-19, or for identification of infected persons when used for screening.
***Dr. Nupur Mehta is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at George Washington University and technical advisor at Partners in Health where he advises state and local health departments responding to the COVID-19 pandemic with a focus on connecting vulnerable communities and local service providers. He completed his MD, MPH at Harvard University and his clinical training at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Making Over 1,000 Discounted COVID-19 Testing Kits Available in Partnership with Cellex™ was originally published in DoorDash on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.