Fairfield entrepreneur starts rapid COVID testing business

FAIRFIELD – Fairfield resident Jonnie Cohen has started a company that he hopes will revolutionize the way people get COVID tests.

Cohen is the founder of The Test Warehouse, which just launched in Fairfield last week and which Cohen is planning to expand into major cities across the country. Those who need a COVID-19 test can sign up for one online, and a registered nurse will come to their door, administer the test and deliver the results in 10-15 minutes.

Cohen said one of the barriers to people getting tested for COVID is the inconvenience of leaving the house, and in some locales, waiting hours in line for a test. The company does a couple of tests, one of which tells the client if they are currently infectious, and another that tells them if their body has already fought off the virus.

Cohen is a serial entrepreneur. He is also the CEO and founder of the company RideShare Mechanic, which connects certified mechanics to independent contract drivers such as those who work for Uber and Lyft. Before that, he ran another business related to ride-sharing.

The Fairfield native had big things planned for RideShare Mechanic in 2020, hoping to triple its business from the prior year. But that was before the pandemic hit. The arrival of the virus was a punch to the gut to Cohen's business as ride sharing fell by 80 percent. People weren't traveling like they used to, and they were fearful to sign up for ride sharing. Cohen lost about $6 million in equity in a two-month span earlier this year.

Television personality and entrepreneur Scott Duffy has been a mentor to Cohen, and Cohen went to him for advice. He attended Duffy's academy in Los Angeles in October, where he got his finger pricked as part of a COVID test, and learned the results in 10 minutes. Cohen saw a business opportunity and started talking to Duffy about a partnership. He learned Duffy was a major stakeholder in rapid tests, taking all of the tests on the Food and Drug Administration's list, testing them in their own lab to find the best one.

Cohen said he learned that many parts of the country did not have access to rapid tests, and those that did charged high prices. Since Cohen had experience connecting certified mechanics to customers, he thought he could do the same thing, substituting nurses with COVID tests for the mechanics.

Research into Iowa's market revealed that some hospitals are filled to capacity with COVID patients, but that was mostly in their intensive care units and emergency rooms.

'But the rest of the hospital is very empty because of a lack of elective surgeries,” Cohen said.

This meant that a number of nurses were looking for work. Not only that, but Cohen said a number of nurses are also mothers, and want something part-time. That's where Cohen has stepped in, to offer an 'Uber for nurses,” as he calls it.

Cohen launched his business in Fairfield on Dec. 10 and had tested 10 people as of early this week. Three nurses have signed up locally to administer the tests. He's planning to launch the service in five cities within the next two weeks, in places such as New York City, Los Angeles, Jersey Shore, Boulder and Denver. Cohen said in New York City, people have to stand in line for hours to get a test and pay about $300 for it.

Clients should be mindful of misinterpreting a 'negative” result on a COVID test. Cohen said a person could get a 'negative” test even if they have the virus if the virus is in its early stages and cannot be picked up by the swab.

'You need to be careful how you use this test,” he said. 'It's a snapshot of where you are right now. It will tell you if you're infectious at this moment, or if you have antibodies, if you have successfully fought the virus in the last 10 weeks.”

To learn more, Text COVID to 641-919-8347 or find his business online at thetestwarehouse.com/remote.