First At-Home COVID-19 Test Collection Kit Available on Amazon

What happened: An at-home saliva collection COVID-19 kit has now been given an emergency use authorization by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is available on Amazon. According to CNN, the test by DxTerity costs just over $100 for one test and $1,000 for 10. This particular test uses saliva to spot a COVID-19 infection, although false negatives are possible. After collecting saliva at home, the test is mailed back to a lab for testing. The kits include pre-paid return shipping.

There are 32 molecular authorizations that can be used with home-collected samples. There is one molecular prescription at home test, one antigen prescription at home test, and one over-the-counter (OTC) at-home antigen test.

— U.S. FDA (@US_FDA) December 22, 2020

The Frontlines: Testing is one of the most important tools when it comes to containing the spread of COVID-19. Several other at-home tests have been approved by the FDA, although this is the first to hit the Amazon market.

• A test by EverlyWell is also available online and results are delivered within 24-72 hours after the lab receives the sample. This particular test uses a nasal swab to detect the virus.
• On Dec. 15, the FDA announced an emergency use authorization for the first fully-at-home rapid COVID-19 test by Ellume Limited. It’s expected to sell for $30 at pharmacies starting in early 2021.
• Additionally, more than a dozen other at-home collection tests have been FDA approved, although only a few are currently available for purchase.

A Mighty Voice: Testing has come a long way from the early days of the pandemic when testing was scarce, even for health care professionals. Our contributor, Jackie Anne Blair, described how she was denied a test despite having symptoms. She said she was told, “Despite the research behind the importance of widespread testing, in our county we are only testing patients in critical care that are being admitted to the hospital. I was told to self-quarantine at home, due to being symptomatic, starting immediately after having a chest X-ray taken. My doctor had already informed infection control for the medical group.” You can submit your first-person story, too.

Add your voice: Join The Mighty’s Coronavirus group by downloading our app or comment below.

Other things to know: Here is what other Mighty contributors are saying about the COVID-19 pandemic:

• Black Doctors Work to Make Coronavirus Testing More Equitable
• What 16 Days With COVID-19 Is Like
• The One Emotion I Didn’t Think I’d Experience When a Doctor Thought I Had COVID-19

How to take action: If you are interested in buying the at-home collection test, you can get it on Amazon here. Learn more about other at-home COVID-19 tests here.