![]() His verdict: “As easy as a home COVID test could be, it seems, but you still need to devote a little bit of time to doing it carefully.” Quest Diagnostics He did note that the process requires setting up an account with the company and dropping the test off at a FedEx location in time for a same-day express service-“so you’ll need to fit that step and timing into your plans.” Associate technology editor Rob Verger tried Labcorp’s Pixel kit out, and found its 12-step process fairly painless. ![]() The sample is processed with a cobas SARS-CoV-2 & influenza A/B Test.)Īnother mail-in alternative is Labcorp’s Pixel at-home kit, which runs $119 out of pocket and can be ordered on the company’s website without a prescription. Sensitivity: 100 percent (Note that this is not a fully do-it-at-home PCR setup.Availability: Online, over the counter at major pharmacies.Image Credit: DxTerity Labcorp Pixel and Quest Diagnostics The test uses a saliva sample, collected at home and sent back to the company’s lab for testing. These tend to be a little more expensive, but they’re also more accurate.ĭxTerity’s at-home collection test can be purchased on Amazon without a prescription for $110. These kits still rely on the user to collect the sample, but the analysis is done in the lab, using the same technique that PCR tests done at a doctor’s office or clinic employ. Ages: Adults and children under the age of 18 with adult supervisionįor those who are willing to quarantine for a few days while waiting for COVID test results, mail-in kits might be a better option.Image Credit: Abbott Laboratories DxTerity Abbott’s BinaxNOW Self Test gives results within 15 minutes and can be purchased at major drugstore chains including Walgreens and CVS for $24 per box. This can help compensate for the typical downside of an antigen test-taking two makes it less likely to miss an infection just because it’s new, especially if you isolate at home in the interim. Each box comes with two tests both should be used by the same individual, with the second taken 36 hours after the first. Specificity: 100 percent ( per company) 96.6 – 99.5 (98.5%) per FDAĪnother at-home antigen test, Abbott’s BinaxNOW, promises results within 15 minutes and is available now at major drugstore chains including Walgreens and CVS at $24 per box.Sensitivity: 92 percent ( per company) 76 – 90 percent (85%) per FDA.Availability: Over the counter at most major pharmacies. ![]() Faulty, unreliable test results have led to major recalls of millions of at-home tests, as was the case earlier this fall, when more than 2 million of Ellume’s home tests were affected by higher-than-acceptable false positive results.Įxperts also stress the danger of mishandling at-home tests, since (after all) most of us are not professionally trained to collect saliva, take nasal swabs, or properly store sensitive testing materials. Depending on the stage of an infection, it is possible for someone to be negative according to an antigen test but positive with PCR, or vice versa, experts warn. ![]() However, antigen tests are far less sensitive than PCR tests and are more likely to lead to false negatives-in which the test gives a negative result even though the person has COVID-19-especially in folks who are asymptomatic. The test costs about $30 online and at pharmacies, and delivers results within 15 minutes. ![]() What’s next: The Biden administration announced this week it is working to procure an additional 500 million at-home tests, in an effort to up the total procured to one billion.DIY Assistant Editor Sandra Gutierrez tried out an antigen test made by Australian manufacturer Ellume, which was the first rapid, fully at-home antigen COVID-19 test authorized by the FDA. But public health experts warn that number does not include millions of unreported results from at-home tests, which are not frequently shared with public health departments.Ī White House spokesperson told POLITICO the federal government will not be putting new systems in place for Americans to report results from the free at-home tests being distributed outside existing reporting structures. “We anticipate the first tests going out at the end of this month, with the remaining tests going out over the next 60 days,” Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Dawn O’Connell told the Senate HELP Committee during a Tuesday hearing on the pandemic response.ĭata: Nearly three million results from Covid-19 tests are being logged daily, according to a tracker maintained by Johns Hopkins University. Asked if the government can meet demand as soon as the website goes live, the senior administration official said the Biden administration is confident “that we can meet all of our timelines and get these to all Americans that want them.” ![]()
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