Covid-19 tests are in high demand as cases surge, with some Americans waiting in long lines at medical centers and drive-through sites. But now an at-home coronavirus test is available on Amazon.
The DxTerity Covid-19 Saliva at-Home Collection Kit, which received an emergency use authorization last month from the Food and Drug Administration, appears to be the only at-home coronavirus test for sale on Amazon. The kit is currently available in a single pack that costs $110 and in a 10-pack for $1,000.
The kits aren’t new, but DxTerity says its version is the first at-home saliva test to receive this FDA authorization for symptomatic and asymptomatic testing. DxTerity’s kit includes an empty tube for saliva to be sent to a Los Angeles-based lab with prepaid shipping, and the turnaround time for results is between 24 to 72 hours after the sample is received, according to the kit’s description on Amazon.
In many places, on-site Covid-19 tests are available for free or at a low cost. But some consumers may be willing to pay a premium for the convenience of an at-home kit.
And while a saliva test can provide accurate results, a molecular test using a nasal swab is usually the best option, Dr. Robert H. Shmerling, a senior faculty editor for Harvard Health Publishing, told CNN’s Julia Chatterley last April. Nasal swabs have fewer false negatives than other diagnostic tests or samples from throat swabs or saliva, he said.
DxTerity says its saliva testing kits are already used by more than 130 corporate partners in the US, including Fortune 500 companies and pharmaceutical organizations, the company said. But the ability for consumers to purchase the kit on Amazon is new.
“We want to expand access to customers at home and small businesses,” Bob Terbrueggen, Ph.D., founder and CEO of DxTerity said in a company press release, adding that Amazon is the perfect partner for “expanding access to millions of U.S. customers.”
