Where Can You Buy An At-Home COVID-19 Test? Cost, Accuracy, And More Details

Several retailers are offering COVID-19 tests that can be taken at home with an accuracy rate of up to 99%.

Walmart, Sam’s Club, GNC, and Costco have all added these at-home COVID-19 tests to their product lines, giving consumers the ability to test themselves for the virus in the privacy of their homes.

Costco was one of the first retailers to begin offering an at-home COVID-19 test to consumers, with the saliva PCR test kit from AZOVA - a molecular diagnostic test. The tests retail for $129.99 to $139.99, depending on the model, and results are provided through a lab order from AZOVA when the kit is shipped next-day after the kit is activated.

AZOVA then provides a secure link via email and SMS that allows the test taker to view and download their test results, which can be used as a certificate for travel, the Costco website said.

According to Costco’s, the AZOVA PCR test has a 98% sensitivity rate to correctly identify someone who is infected with COVID-19 and a 99% sensitivity rate to correctly identify someone who is not infected with the virus.

Walmart and Sam’s Club also offer at-home COVID-19 test kits under the MyLab Box brand. The kits range in price from $99 to $135, also depending on the kit’s model.

The COVID-19 test is an RT-PCR test, which is the most commonly used test for the virus. It collects saliva samples in five minutes or less, and results are received online within 24 to 48 hours from receipt of the sample at the lab.

Once a kit is purchased online, the kit is mailed, and a coupon is sent for lab testing of the saliva sample. A health screening must also be completed. The Walmart website said the test has been authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization.

Accuracy of the COVID-19 test was not provided.

GNC also sells an at-home COVID-19 test that costs $129 under its GNC4U brand. The test includes FedEx overnight shipping to a lab as well as an official lab report, which GNC said can be used for travel in “many circumstances.”

Results of the test are provided within 72 hours of receiving the lab sample. The test does have FDA emergency use authorization and is tested by GNC’s partner lab RUCDR Infinite Biologics.

GNC does accept HSA and FSA cards for purchase of the at-home COVID-19 test kit as payment. If prescribed by a doctor, further insurance coverage may be eligible, GNC said. The test is said to have up to a 99% accuracy rate, according to the health retailer.