AT-HOME COVID-19 TEST KITS (OTC)

About At-Home Over-the-Counter COVID-19 Test Kits

Rapid antigen tests offer a quick and easy way to detect COVID-19  from the comfort and safety of your home. Testing can be conducted via saliva, a throat sample, or a nose swab. This helps track active infections amongst individuals (including those that do not experience symptoms (asymptomatic) within 15 minutes. These "rapid tests" also known as "at-home COVID-19 tests" can be a valuable tool to manage life throughout the pandemic. 

Negative results do not necessarily mean an individual is free and clear from COVID-19. It is recommended to wait at least two to three days after exposure and it's possible that it could take up to six days for the tests to detect the infection. Premature testing may lead to negative results if done too soon, increasing the risk of spreading transmission. Recent data suggest that rapid antigen tests may fail to detect Omicron entirely. 

To fight the spread of COVID-19, the FDA has granted an emergency use authorization to many new rapid at-home COVID-19 tests available to consumers without prescriptions that are both available in-stores and online. In December 2021, the President announced plans to reimburse people for at-home tests and to make 500 million tests available for free to the public. 

As of January 5, the administration also announced that the cost of rapid at-home tests purchased by consumers would be reimbursed by insurance companies. 

The accuracy of an at-home antigen test depends in part on test sensitivity (the test’s reported ability to detect a true positive), test specificity (its reported ability to detect a true negative), sample integrity (whether a swab contains enough sample or the swab solution is contaminated by, say, another pathogen), whether one follows the manufacturer’s instructions exactly, the time since a person’s last known or suspected exposure and/or their onset of symptoms, and the person’s viral load at the time of testing.

Tests are authorized for use on people as young as 2 years, provided that a child's sample is obtained and processed by an adult.