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After an initial verbal screening, one driver at a time gets a COVID-19 nasal swab test from a garbed health worker at a drive-up station in Daly City, Calif. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption

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Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Dr. Deborah Birx, who coordinates the White House Coronavirus Task Force, criticized a test "where 50% or 47% are false positives" at a briefing on March 17. Kevin Dietsch/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption

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Kevin Dietsch/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The test for the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 isn't simple, like the ones for the flu, strep or pregnancy. The current kits are configured more for a research lab than a hospital. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hide caption

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

"Access to testing is really the major tool we have right now to fight this new coronavirus," says Dr. Keith Jerome, who runs a University of Washington lab in Seattle that can now test for the virus. Jonathan Hamilton/NPR hide caption

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Jonathan Hamilton/NPR

When Coronavirus Struck Seattle, This Lab Was Ready To Start Testing

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When Alexa Kasdan's sore throat lingered for more than a week, she went to her doctor. The doctor sent her throat swab and blood draw to an out-of-network lab for sophisticated DNA tests, resulting in a $28,395.50 bill. Shelby Knowles for Kaiser Health News hide caption

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Shelby Knowles for Kaiser Health News

For Her Head Cold, Insurer Coughed Up $25,865

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Lesley McClurg tests the at-home, over-the-counter food allergy test at KQED Headquarters in San Francisco, Calif., on April 11, 2018. Lauren Hanussak/KQED hide caption

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Lauren Hanussak/KQED

Do DIY Medical Tests Promise More Than They Can Deliver?

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Before filling one of these tubes with blood for a cholesterol test, you're supposed to keep your stomach empty. But that may not be necessary. Nancy Louie/iStockphoto.com hide caption

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Nancy Louie/iStockphoto.com

If there's a test for it, chances are a storefront lab is eager to help you have it done. iStockphoto.com hide caption

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iStockphoto.com

Retail Labs Give Patients Information, But Needle Doctors

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U.S. Navy doctors Lt. Cmdr Ralph Pickard (left) and Ens. Jesse Rohloff study a patient's mammogram images at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. CWO4 Seth Rossman/U.S. Navy hide caption

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CWO4 Seth Rossman/U.S. Navy