Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Most people infected with COVID-19 will experience mild to moderate symptoms and recover without requiring special treatment, but some people can become severely ill. Older adults and those with underlying medical conditions are more likely to develop serious illness and require medical attention.

COVID-19 spreads when an infected person breathes out droplets and very small particles that contain the virus. These droplets and particles can be inhaled by other people or land on their eyes, noses, or mouth. In some circumstances, they may contaminate surfaces they touch. People who are closer than 6 feet from the infected person are most likely to get infected.

People with COVID-19 have a wide range of symptoms ranging from mild to severe. Symptoms usually appear within 2-14 days after being exposed to the virus.

These symptoms may include:

• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• New loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea

This list does not include all possible symptoms. Please call your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning to you.

COVID-19 spreads through contact with other people infected with the Coronavirus. Sensible precautions include:
• Limiting close contact with others.
• Excellent hand hygiene.
• Wearing face masks.
• Regular testing.

Close contact with others means people standing within 6 feet of you for a cumulative period of 15 minutes. You can minimize your risks by meeting nonfamily members outside and maintaining distance at work. As you cannot isolate yourself entirely from everyone, hand hygiene and face masks help minimize spreading the infection.

The COVID-19 virus can remain infectious on some hard surfaces for up to 72 hours. Regular cleaning of your hands after contact with surfaces minimizes the possibility of transferring the virus to your mouth or nose. Washing or sanitizing as you go in and out of buildings helps, but you need to assess your risk areas for contacting potentially contaminated surfaces.

The primary way the coronavirus infects other people is through water droplets in the air that you breathe in; face masks act as a barrier to that way of transmitting the virus. Face masks are best at protecting you in enclosed, busy, public places with potentially close contact.

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests look for the presence of COVID-19 RNA. It’s not instant and it does require a lab to process the results, but it detects the virus early, before the presence of antibodies or symptoms. In the lab, we add an enzyme (DNA polymerase or reverse transcriptase) whose role is to create copies of the virus RNA (if present) in the sample so our equipment can detect it.

The PCR COVID test detects if you currently have COVID-19.

• A positive PCR test indicates a high probability of carrying COVID-19 (there are false positives). This way, you can take appropriate precautions to help prevent the spread of infection and prepare for COVID-19’s impact on you.
• If you have vaccine protection, you may develop no symptoms or mild ones.
• A negative COVID-19 test means you are probably not infected with the COVID-19 (there are some false negatives).

PCR tests are best if:
• You are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19.
• Someone you have been in close contact with is showing signs of infection.
(Close contact is defined as being within 6 feet of someone for more than 15 minutes)
• Someone you have been in close contact with has tested positive for the Coronavirus.
• You need it to travel for work, leisure, or a family emergency.
• Employer, college, or school requirements to keep everyone safe.
• You regularly work with vulnerable people and need to be infection-free.
• You have many public contacts and want reassurance you aren’t spreading COVID-19.

You can rely on Nexsun Labs to process your sample quickly and accurately at an affordable price. PCR testing is the gold standard for COVID-19 testing and you will sleep knowing that you are safeguarding those around you from the spread of coronavirus.

The benefits of a COVID-19 PCR Test include:

• More sensitivity captures asymptomatic carriers and individuals in the early stages of infection.
• Clearly indicates if someone is infectious.
• A negative result clears an individual from being non-infectious.
• Acceptable for travel and diagnostic purposes.

We offer RT-PCR testing. The COVID-19 RT-PCR Test is a real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test for the qualitative detection of nucleic acid from SARS-CoV-2 in upper respiratory specimens collected from any individual, including individuals without symptoms or other reasons to suspect COVID-19.

RT-PCR is considered the gold standard for COVID-19 testing as it provides a more definitive answer to whether an individual has an active coronavirus infection.

Our PCR test meets all requirements for both domestic and international travel.

PCR testing is a standard process for identifying trace amounts of DNA. Coronavirus doesn’t have DNA (with a double strand), but it does have RNA (with a single strand), and this RNA identifies the presence of the coronavirus.

The first stage of processing the sample is concentrating the COVID-19 RNA present by removing all other substances. An enzyme added to the RNA converts it into DNA. The next stage causes the DNA to replicate, making it more visible.

The whole process takes place in a machine that alternately uses cycles of heating, cooling, and replication to produce a sample that tests specifically for the presence of COVID-19. Typically, the sample goes through many cycles to maximize the small amount of RNA present. The PCR test won’t confuse the COVID-19 infection with the other coronaviruses that cause the common cold. The result can be available in a few hours instead of days.

An onsite lab means there is no delay in getting the live, active sample from you to the testing equipment. There is no possibility of delays in transit.

The benefits of using a testing center with an onsite lab include:
• Rapid testing and less wait time for results.
• Cost savings – no transport costs.
• Quality control and better customer service.

You are working directly with our CLIA accredited lab for a quick and affordable PCR test with a high degree of accuracy.

Sometimes, the test gives an inconclusive result. Rerunning the test most often clears the confusion. In some instances, the second testing may prove inconclusive (less than 0.2% prove invalid), and a second sample is necessary. If your sample needs retesting, it will delay getting your results, but we still aim to give you your test results within 24 hours.

Scheduling a COVID-19 test by appointment helps everyone plan their day and means the process will be faster with minimal waiting time.

But we know stuff happens, and if you need an unscheduled COVID-19 test, you will be seen as fast as possible. Your wait time will depend on the number of scheduled appointments and other walk-ins at that time.

Yes, we ask that you not only make an appointment for all individuals that need to be tested, but to also register everyone’s information on our patient portal by clicking on the link in your appointment confirmation emails. This will ensure you all have appointment slots and minimize any interruptions for you and your family from other appointments.

At this time, we are not accepting insurance as a form of payment. However, we can always provide you with a receipt if you would like to submit a claim for reimbursement to your insurance company.

In the event that we need to retest your sample, or if we need to collect a new sample because the results were inconclusive/invalid, we will contact you as soon as possible.

• • An invalid result means that the sample provided was inadequate for amplification.
  • An inconclusive result could mean you are either coming down from a COVID-19 infection or that you are beginning to shed the virus.

If you receive an invalid or inconclusive result, it is a protocol to run the original sample twice. If the second test run also comes back inconclusive/invalid, we will call you to take another test.

At Nexsun Labs, we care about your health and safety and work quickly and efficiently to provide you with accurate results. Oftentimes, your results will be available sooner than the times listed, but in the event that your sample needs to be retested you can expect your results by the following times:

Once your results are ready to review, you will receive an email and/or text from our secure patientxchange portal.

If this is your first-time testing with us under our new patientxchange portal, you will need to register your account to review your results. A link to register will be provided with your results.

Your results notification will be sent to the email we have on file. It’s always best to check your email’s spam folder just in case, but if it’s been over 24 hours and you have not received your results, please reach out to us at 888-979-5060. This way we can confirm the contact information in our system is correct and/or resend the results to the correct email address.

The ISO 15189 certification is specific to the Hong Kong government. However, our CLIA certification is the equivalent and is acceptable for countries that ask for ISO 15189 certification. If you need a copy of our CLIA license, we can provide this to you at the time of your appointment.

Certificates of recovery must be provided by your primary care physician. If you need one for travel or to get back to work or school, it is best you contact your PCP to obtain one.

Previously, these certificates needed to be signed by our ordering physician, but it is now no longer a requirement. You are able to fill the form out at home once you receive your results. If you are unsure where to find the form, we will happily provide you with a copy at the time of your appointment.