My blogging efforts were derailed over the last couple of weeks after my husband and I both tested positive for COVID and then had to care for our kids while also trying to “isolate” from them. No easy feat! Thankfully, through a combination of vaccine protection and antivirals, our cases were mild and we managed to keep our 3 small children COVID-free!

And…I had the privilege of experiencing what I like to believe will be the future of diagnostics. In order to send my kids back to preschool, I needed a molecular test with quick turnaround. A friend lent me her Cue. Per the Cue Health website, Cue’s molecular COVID-19 test combines fast results and ease of use with the accuracy of central lab technology, all in one device that fits in the palm of your hand.

The Cue is akin to what I imagine Elizabeth Holmes had envisioned when she launched Theranos. It’s an elegant little machine that is smaller than a tissue box and processes test samples in neat little cartridges and beams your results to your mobile device in 20 minutes via wifi. From what I have heard, results are as accurate as a PCR test and my kids’ preschool happily accepted them as evidence that my kids could safely return to school.

Of course, the Cue is very expensive (around $250 to buy the Cue Reader as a consumer through the Cue Health website, and the test cartridges are over $60 each) and not practical for most, considering you can easily get antigen tests and can get PCR tests for free if you are willing to wait a day or 2 for results. And for now, it seems that only COVID tests are available.

But what if it could test for MANY things? What if I could swab my kids’ noses and find it within 20 minutes whether they had strep? or the flu? or coxackie? or anything else? I could make quick, early decisions about how to care for my family and determine best treatment and quarantine strategies. I could avoid unnecessary time consuming and costly doctor visits to the doctor.

If something like the Cue already exists and people are diagnosing themselves accurately with COVID as we speak, it feels like the future isn’t far off.