Company Announcements

21 May 2020

ClearStar, Inc.

("ClearStar" or the "Company")

ClearStar launches COVID-19 testing service for employers  

New COVID-19 testing programme to assist employers with return-to-work process and workforce safety

ClearStar (AIM: CLSU), a provider of Human Capital Integrity℠ technology-based services specialising in background and medical screening, announces the launch of a testing service aimed at supporting employers with their COVID-19 return-to-work planning and keeping their workforce safe. The new service is provided by ClearStar's Medical Information Services ("MIS") business through Clinical Reference Laboratory, Inc. ("CRL"), one of the largest privately held clinical testing laboratories in the US, and it includes both an antibody and a diagnostic test.

In the first instance, employees receive the CRL Clear™ kit, which is a dried blood spot finger prick test that is used to identify the presence, or lack, of COVID-19 antibodies in the blood, which are produced by the body in response to the virus. This includes IgA, IgM and IgG antibodies, which are produced at different stages of the immune system response. A positive test result indicates that the employee has been previously infected by COVID-19 and has developed antibodies that might provide the employee with immunity. The CRL Clear™ kit is based on the Roche Elecsys® Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody test, which has received the CE mark and US Food and Drug Administration Emergency Use Authorization.

Employees testing positive for the CRL Clear™ test, or those initially displaying symptoms, receive the CRL Rapid Response™ kit, which is a saliva-based molecular diagnostic test to determine if the virus is active. Those testing positive, meaning they are currently infected with COVID-19, will automatically be contacted by a licenced doctor to discuss the results and next steps. Any employee testing positive at either stage also receives instructions on self-isolation.       

The Company's customers are able to order the tests using the same process as for their existing ClearStar drug and clinical screening programmes. Test collection kits are shipped either in bulk to the employer or direct to the employees (or job applicants), with the samples being self-collected by the employee and sent back to the CRL lab for testing. Employees also complete a questionnaire ahead of receiving the test collection kit and subsequently register the test collection kit online. The results of the tests are reported via the ClearStar platform within 24 hours, on average, of the samples being received by the lab and are provided in the same format, based on employer preference, as the customer receives their other drug or background screening reports from the Company.

Robert Vale, CEO of ClearStar, said: "Balancing the equally important goals of getting people back to work and ensuring their safety and well-being is top priority for employers. We are proud to be able to offer our customers a new COVID-19 testing service, and by partnering with Clinical Reference Laboratory, whose tests are easy to self-administer, we can offer a reliable and quick turnaround. This new service - alongside our existing suite of background and medical screening solutions - will help employers to make more informed hiring and return-to-work decisions to get people into work quicker while maintaining public safety."

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About ClearStar

ClearStar, Inc. is a leading provider of Human Capital Integrity℠ technology-based services specialising in background and medical screening. It provides employment intelligence direct to employers and via channel partners/consumer reporting agencies ("CRAs") to support better recruitment and other decisions affecting employees by increasing the quality, reliability and visibility of information.

A seven-time Inc. 5000 honouree and founding member of the Professional Background Screening Association, ClearStar has provided innovative technology solutions to businesses in the human capital management industry from its corporate offices in Alpharetta, Georgia since 1995. For more information about ClearStar, please visit: www.clearstar.net.