The holiday season and surging omicron variant of COVID-19 have made at-home test kits rare. Learn what you need to know now.
Rapid antigen tests have been an important diagnostic during the pandemic but are now very hard to find.
As demand soars for rapid at-home COVID test kits, many drugstores and online suppliers are out of stock, and states and the federal government are taking matters into their own hands.
On Wednesday, the Pentagon announced a new $137 million contract with MilliporeSigma, a Massachusetts-based subsidiary of Merck that makes a key component of rapid antigen tests. MilliporeSigma will build a facility in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, to produce nitrocellulose membranes, the paper that displays the at-home test kit results.
The contract, awarded by the US Department of Defense on behalf of the Department of Health and Human Services, will fuel the production of more than 83.3 million rapid COVID-19 tests per month, according to an announcement on Thursday.
The deal was funded through the American Rescue Plan Act, which supports expanding the domestic industrial base “for critical medical resources,” according to the release. It’s part of the Biden administration’s effort to make testing more available as the omicron variant continues to spread.
On Wednesday, the FDA also granted a new emergency authorization for the use of at-home COVID tests made by German firm Siemens Healthineers. The authorization will bring tens of millions of new at-home tests per month into the US.
While the Food and Drug Administration has said antigen tests “may have reduced sensitivity” in detecting the omicron strain, they can be taken at home and produce results in minutes. The more definitive PCR tests require lab technicians and a turnaround time of 12 hours to 5 days for results.
At the same time, manufacturers have increased production, and the FDA has been approving new kits at an unprecedented clip: In October, Acon Laboratories said it would be able to produce more than 100 million Flowflex COVID-19 Home Test kits monthly by the end of the year, and more than 200 million a month by February.
We’ll share what we know now, and will continue to update this story as we learn more details, including when the federal reimbursement program starts and exactly how it will work. Also, get the latest on the Pfizer COVID-19 pill Paxlovid, updates on mask mandates and how to choose a booster shot.
Read more: Text this number for free rides, easy COVID booster appointments
At-home rapid COVID-19 tests are available at pharmacies like Walgreens, CVS and Walmart. You can also buy them online at Amazon or at the websites of the pharmacies. Each box typically comes with two tests, unless you buy in bulk.
Concern about omicron has led to a test kit shortage at many drugstores, with Walgreens and CVS limiting how many customers can purchase. Walgreens allows each customer to purchase a maximum of four at-home tests. CVS sets its limit at six. Walmart limits online purchases to eight tests, but has no limit on in-store purchases.
At-home test kits are a hot item right now, and most online suppliers are out of stock. If your local drugstores are also lacking test kits, try your state or local health department.
On Friday morning, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont reported that the state had received 426,000 test kits to distribute. On Thursday, Oregon announced it was purchasing 12 million tests to distribute via health departments, K-12 schools and community centers, according to KDRV-TV. And state programs such Iowa’s TestIowa are showing that they have many at-home collection tests available for state residents.
The FDA has authorized 13 rapid at-home COVID-19 test kits and 61 at-home collection tests. Rapid antigen tests are generally much cheaper than home collection tests. Costs vary from brand to brand, but the rapid tests generally run about $10 to $12 apiece.
Both Walgreens and CVS are selling Abbott’s BinaxNow and Quedel’s QuickVue tests — two of the first authorized — for $24 for a pack of two. Acon’s FlowFlex rapid test usually runs slightly less: It’s currently $10 for one test at both Walgreens and CVS.
Home collection tests — where a nasal swab or saliva sample is sent to a lab — cost much more than the rapid antigen tests. CVS and Walgreens are selling Labcorp’s Pixel home-collection test for $125.
Buying in bulk seems like a way to cut down the cost of individual tests, but that hasn’t happened in reality yet. Amazon is selling a two-pack of Intrivo’s On/Go rapid test for $24.49 ($12.45 each), but the price for 40, at $499, is slightly more per test: $12.48 apiece.
Unfortunately, almost all of the tests mentioned are out of stock for online purchase due to the current rush. We’ll continue to update this section as the availability of tests changes.
Starting early next year, over-the-counter COVID-19 test kits will be available for free to everyone in the US. Under a plan announced by Biden, health insurance companies will be required to reimburse Americans for home antigen tests, which can cost more than $25 each.
Those who don’t have health insurance will also have access to free kits at health centers and other community sites. The Biden administration has pledged to make 50 million tests available at such locations.
The White House has said it will issue reimbursement guidelines to health insurers by Jan. 15, and companies are expected to start refunding the costs of at-home testing shortly after. The plan is not expected to be retroactive, however, so kits purchased before then will not be covered.
Some states, including Vermont, have mandated insurers to start paying for at-home kits now. Others, including Washington, New Hampshire and New Jersey, have started issuing free test kits to their states’ residents.
Massachusetts and Connecticut recently announced ambitious plans to distribute millions of test to state residents, but supply snags have struck both states. Delays in Massachusetts have some schools delaying reopening after the holiday break, according to WCVB in Boston. On Thursday, Connecticut Gov. Lamont announced a delay in the state’s plan to deliver 1.5 million at-home test kits to residents. On Friday, the state was surprised by a delivery of 426,000 tests, according to CT Insider, and counties will start distributing them immediately.
If you don’t live in one of those states you may want to check with your employer, as some private companies have begun offering reimbursement options for at-home tests.
Once the White House plan does take effect, anyone with insurance will be able to submit a receipt or other proof of payment for reimbursement after buying a test. The process is similar to visiting an on-site testing facility and submitting your bill to a health insurance provider.
For those without insurance, Biden says there will be “thousands of locations” available to pick up COVID-19 test kits. You’ll be able to take the kit home to test in private, rather than get swabbed in a drive-thru clinic. A website will be made available early next yea where anyone can order free rapid COVID test kits delivered to their home.
In a Dec. 2 announcement, the White House also promised to distribute at least 50 million free tests to community health clinics and other centers.
The two main types of COVID-19 tests are rapid antigen tests and PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests. Antigen tests can be taken at home and return results in about 15 minutes. PCR tests require lab work and generally provide results in 12 hours to 5 days.
Both types of tests mostly use nasal swab samples. PCR tests administered by a professional may require a nasopharyngeal sample that involves a much deeper nostril swab. Rapid antigen tests usually require swirling a swab in the nostril less than an inch deep.
PCR tests amplify genetic material from the collected sample up to a billion times to detect even the slightest amount of COVID-19 genes, making them highly accurate. They’re also more expensive, usually costing more than $100 apiece.
Rapid antigen tests simply detect the presence of antigens — the substances that prompt your immune system to create antibodies — and work much like home pregnancy tests. If your sample contains COVID-19 antigens, the thin line of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies on the test strip will change color.
Because rapid tests are simply looking for the existence of antigens, they work best when someone is symptomatic. Rapid antigen tests are less successful with early infections and asymptomatic cases. The risk of a false negative is much higher with a rapid test than a false positive.
The type of test to choose will mostly depend on your situation. Do you need results right now, with less accuracy? Then rapid antigen fits your bill. If you want closer to 100% accuracy and don’t need instant results, the “gold standard” PCR is your choice.
At-home test kits are slightly less effective at detecting COVID-19 infections than molecular (PCR) tests. On Tuesday the FDA announced that home antigen tests “may have reduced sensitivity” to the omicron variant. If you have COVID-19 symptoms and test negative with a rapid antigen test at home, the FDA recommends following up with a PCR test.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden, said during a White House briefing on Wednesday the kits are still an important tool in checking the spread of the virus. “The fact that the sensitivity is diminished somewhat does not obviate the importance of the advantage and usefulness of these tests under different circumstances,” Fauci said, pointing to testing for family gatherings and at schools.
If you take an at-home test and the results are positive for COVID-19, it’s recommended that you turn your results in to your health care provider. Local health departments are also asking people who test positive at home to report their results so they can track COVID-19 outbreaks. Methods of reporting self tests vary wildly — some health departments have online forms, others require email and still others use phone reporting. Check your local health department’s website for specific info on how to report a positive result.
You should stay home and isolate for at least five days or longer if you’re symptomatic, according to new recommendations from the CDC. Though the risk of false-positive results from rapid tests is low, most medical experts and health officials still recommend confirming a positive at-home test with a subsequent PCR test.
For more information, here’s the latest on the federal vaccine mandate and everything you need to know about the Moderna booster shot.
The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.
