A small white box with “UN3373 Biological Substance Category B” written in black came to Kyle Peters’ home.
Potentially inside was “a thing that goes into your brain.”
This is PGA Tour golf. This is not science fiction.
Peters is a caddie for Corey Conners. Both are scheduled to be at this week’s Charles Schwab Challenge, the Tour’s first tournament in three months due to its coronavirus hiatus. UN3373 Biological Substance Category B, sent by Vault Health, was suggested to be opened and its contents used as part of the Tour’s at-home Covid-19 test, which Peters shared on a video posted on the Caddie Network’s social media feeds.
In the video, Peters showed what came in the box.
A folded-up instruction sheet. A small item in a clear package – “I don’t know what this is for,” Peters said. An alcohol prep pad. A small plastic bag with an orange hazard label on it – “I’m guessing I put my results in this bag.” A FedEx bag with pre-paid shipping.
The Tour said this week in its “Participant Resource Guide 2020” that “it is strongly recommended that every player/caddie take an at-home Covid-19 test prior to travel. The test will give individuals an immediate indication as to whether they have contracted the virus and should begin self-quarantine at home.” At tournaments, participants will be screened upon arrival with a questionnaire, thermal reading and nasal swab test; and they will be screened daily.
Peters took the at-home test.
“So I’m not sure how this test is going to go, but I’m about to finish it here in 10 minutes so hopefully I test negative,” Peters said.
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In the second part of the video, Peters said he went on a Zoom call with a medical practitioner. In the resource guide, the Tour said, “after your kit arrives, you will log into the Vault Health site as directed and connect with a Vault Health medical practitioner over a Zoom video call. The practitioner will guide you through the collection of saliva in the tube. Once connected, the whole process takes just a few minutes.”
The mystery item from before was a saliva tube.
“But that little tube that I showed you in the first video, I’m very thankful to be doing it this way because I’ve heard of the test – they stick the thing up to your nose and it goes into your brain and they swab around,” Peters said.
The test took about five minutes. No food or drink for 30 minutes before. Peters said he had a cup of coffee about 45 minutes ahead of his test.
“It felt like I was a little dehydrated and didn’t have as much saliva,” he said. “It was probably a little tougher than it should have been. I probably should have drank some more water before this.”
