For use by CDPH schools requesting access to free software to help them track OTC/At-home test results from their school community. With access to a Primary.Health OTC/At-Home test group, your organization can log, store, and track your participant’s OTC/At-Home test results in the Primary.Health platform which will require training on the Primary.Health Platform as well as following guidance set by CDPH.

If you are planning to conduct testing on others, you must participate in a professional antigen testing program. Professional antigen tests can be used at-school on students. OTC/at-home tests are meant to be used at home by individuals or parents/guardians. If they are used outside the home, they must still be completed (both running and interpreting the test) by individuals or parents/guardians. Users should follow the age parameters for self-administration associated with the particular OTC/at-home test they are using (typically 14 years or older). For those younger than the minimum age, guardians can administer and perform the test for children.

If OTC/at-home tests are performed on others, they are subject to federal laboratory regulations (“CLIA”) and require special training. If you plan to use antigen tests in this type of scenario where staff performs tests on others, your organization needs to apply for use of CDPH’s School CLIA waiver if your organization serves K-12 students. CDPH’s School CLIA only covers Abbot BinaxNow professional antigen tests and not other brands of antigen tests. Application here.

CDPH recommends staff should not administer OTC/at-home tests, but rather allow children (if old enough) or parents to conduct the test and read results themselves. Staff should provide educational resources for families to conduct the tests themselves. The goal of relying on OTC/at-home tests is to free up staff time and to move testing operations to parents and students in the 2022/23 school year. Educational materials can be found here.

Applying for this program will NOT grant you a CLIA waiver. If you are considering testing modalities outside of OTC testing, you will need to reach out directly to CDPH for assistance: schoolbinax@cdph.ca.gov