BinaxNOW testing and reporting with NAVICA

Ohio University expects students, faculty, and staff who use BinaxNOW antigen self-tests to submit their test results to the University via the NAVICA app. 

This new testing and reporting combination will provide individuals on regional campuses with a new rapid-result option for testing that they currently lack. Additionally, recording BinaxNOW test results from OHIO community members will help the University more accurately calculate positivity rates. 

BinaxNOW web-supervised tests are conducted at home, with results in 15 minutes. The tests are available for purchase from pharmacies and retailers and sometimes are available free of charge from community organizations through federal and state distribution programs. Individuals with private insurance can purchase up to eight antigen tests of any brand per covered family member per month and get reimbursed.

BinaxNOW’s combination of at-home convenience and quick results is helpful in specific situations, including:

• Testing to leave quarantine. All individuals exposed to COVID-19 must test on day 5 post exposure, regardless of vaccination or booster status, per CDC guidelines. Previously, individuals on OHIO regional campuses had to wait 48-72 hours for results from Vault Health tests (individuals on the Athens campus utilize CVS on-site rapid testing for this purpose). Beginning this week, BinaxNOW tests are available for regional campus students, faculty, and staff to pick up at the same locations they currently go to for Vault Health tests. (The Vault tests will continue to be used for required weekly asymptomatic testing.) 
• Checking health status. Individuals who have participated in higher risk activities and want to check their health before potentially exposing others often use at-home antigen tests.
• Travel-related testing. Individuals using BinaxNOW for required travel-related testing can fulfill University travel testing requirements by using NAVICA.

Any OHIO community member who has a BinaxNOW test can use the free NAVICA program to report their results to the University, regardless of where they got the test.

Important: Individuals who are required to test weekly because they are on the Weekly Testing Pathway or because they belong to any of the groups President Hugh Sherman recently announced must test weekly must complete those required tests through Vault Health.

Data transmitted via NAVICA are encrypted. Users share only their first and last name, email address, phone number, zip code, and date of birth. The app isn't used for contact tracing, so there is no tracking or sharing of personal location information. Any use of the data by Ohio University complies with applicable privacy laws under the supervision of Dr. Gillian Ice, special assistant to the president for public health operations.

Setting up a NAVICA account is easy. Instructions are available at this webpage.