Philadelphia-based online food and convenience store platform goPuff is launching delivery of at-home Covid-19 test kits as new coronavirus case counts continue to mount across the United States.
The saliva-based Covid-19 PRC tests are available to goPuff customers via a partnership with New York-based at-home coronavirus test company Purlab. The tests will be available in each of goPuff’s more than 200 micro-fulfillment centers servicing more than 500 cities across the country, including D.C.
The majority of micro-fulfillment centers will have the tests available beginning Friday, a goPuff spokeswoman confirmed. The tests are not available in California.
The $129 kit is the first SARS-COV-2 saliva test approved for emergency use authorization by the Food and Drug Administration and it is covered by most health insurance companies, the goPuff spokeswoman added. A customer can order the test and have it delivered to their door. From there, a person will return their saliva sample in a pre-labeled box for testing at the Rutgers University RUCDR Infinite Biologics Lab, which helped develop the test.
The test will be processed at the lab and customers will get their results within 24 to 72 hours of Rutgers receiving the sample. The majority of results so far have been returned in 24 hours, goPuff noted. Purlab has a mobile app for people to register their test and receive results via their phones.
Rafael Ilishayev, goPuff’s co-founder and co-CEO, said the Philadelphia company is excited to offer a “convenient” route to Covid-19 testing.
“The health and wellbeing of goPuff’s customers, employees, driver partners and the community is always our top priority, which is why we continue to identify new opportunities to give back and provide support,” he said. “GoPuff's unique business model enables us to quickly add new products to our assortment, then safely deliver those items to customers in just minutes from our local micro-fulfillment centers.”
Michael Cohen, president of Purlab, noted the partnership is beneficial because “in addition to accuracy and accessibility, saving time is incredibly important to consumers seeking to test for Covid.”
Throughout the pandemic, goPuff launched a $1 million initiative to support health care workers; matched $1 million in donations for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America’s Covid-19 Relief Fund; and donated upwards of 50,000 masks to the cities of Philadelphia and Miami, and the University of Pennsylvania and other colleges.
It has also grown its partnerships during 2020 with fellow Philadelphia food and beverage brands, including Lokal Artisan Foods, avocado seed beverage brand Reveal, Federal Donuts, Famous 4th Street Cookie Co. and La Colombe.
The delivery service recently acquired West Coast alcoholic beverage retailer BevMo! in a $350 million deal that allows the company to expand westward. GoPuff was founded in 2013 and is now valued at $3.9 billion after a recent $380 million fundraising round led by investors Accel and D1 Capital Partners.
The digital convenience store platform aims to deliver orders in 30 minutes or less.
