Table of Content
Geetika Gupta, MD, is a board-certified internist working in primary care. She's been focused on the outpatient care of COVID-19 since 2020 and is based near Boston, Massachusetts. Sarah is a freelance writer with a focus on health and wellness. She has written for publications like Women's Health, Healthline, and Parents. She taught creative writing for five years, and has a bachelor's degree in English from Southern Connecticut State University.

As of January 15, 2022, those with private insurance can be reimbursed for the cost of up to eight at-home test kits, per covered individual, per month. Contact your health insurance company for more information. People not fully vaccinated with COVID-19 vaccine who have been asked or referred to get testing by their school, workplace, healthcare provider, state, tribal, or territorial health department. Apply for VA health care, find out how to access services, and manage your health and benefits online. We offer diagnostic lab-based tests for Veterans who are enrolled in VA health care. Monitor your symptoms.If you have symptoms, you could still have COVID-19 or another illness like the flu.
At-Home COVID Tests We Also Tested
If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission. The FDA was not immediately available for comment about the possibility of an at-home test kit. Cases of COVID-19, influenza, and RSV continue to rise in Florida and throughout the country, yet only COVID has a commercial at-home test kit. You may be able to order five free rapid home tests through Project Access COVID Tests . If you are blind or have low vision, order accessible tests.
So far, there have been no requests for assistance, but surge teams, ventilators and personal protective equipment are ready, the official said. The health center has a large inventory of tests now, but it’s not likely that free kits will be offered to the campus community in the future. PCR tests are slower but usually more accurate, and may be useful if an official test is needed. You'll mail back your swab and get results a few days later. They're easy to use, and rapid home tests give results in minutes, making them the test of choice. If you’re not able to obtain a self-test when you need it, you might also visit a community testing site, or call your local health department for more options.
How to get your lab test results
All twenty of the Commonwealth’s most disproportionately impacted equity communities were included by these criteria. In total, the 102 municipalities account for nearly 3.7 million Massachusetts residents. To more than 100 municipalities with a larger proportion of families facing financial hardship. These OTC rapid antigen test kits will serve as another tool to combat COVID-19 in the Commonwealth.
You’ll also need to register the kit and create an account so the lab can quickly send you the results when they’re available. This Everlywell test is eligible for flexible spending accounts and health savings accounts . Everlywell can also provide an itemized receipt for insurance reimbursement.
Who are the tests for?
One reason why the iHealth test kit is widely available is for its potential use when traveling. You can take the test kit with you and use it at re-entry points. Each kit also comes with two tests for the purpose of retesting yourself within 36 hours of the initial test. Once you’ve purchased the kit and collected your sample, you ship it back to DxTerity in the prepaid package via FedEx.
At-home COVID-19 tests are generally as accurate as in-person tests. Before collecting your sample, the company recommends that you download the accompanying On/Go app on your smartphone. This allows you to track multiple test results, while also keeping them organized for sharing with others, if needed.
Content current as of:
You can track your test in real-time and receive text messages or email updates about where it’s at in the process. You’ll receive results within 1 to 2 days after the lab receives your sample. Still, testing remains vital to help reduce transmission of the coronavirus. With the development of at-home coronavirus tests, there are several ways to get tested in the safety and privacy of your own home. WUSF 89.7 depends on donors for the funding it takes to provide you the most trusted source of news and information here in town, across our state, and around the world. Support WUSF now by giving monthly, or make a one-time donation online.

Adding to strain on the health care system is an early, rough flu season and a surge this fall in cases respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. The federal government relaunched its program to send households free COVID-19 testing kits Thursday. If you’re not a healthcare professional, can you trust the results you receive from taking samples of your own bodily fluids and testing them for COVID-19? Combining cost-effectiveness with a few extra ease-of-use features makes the Clinitest a solid choice for families wanting to streamline the testing process. For $35, you receive 5 tests—enough for a family on a budget to test all at once, even if you have to buy additional boxes.
Residents can also visit local pharmacies or order online to purchase rapid test kits on their own, as needed. Viome specializes in gut health testing kits — but do they actually work? Healthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy. Also, visit our coronavirus hub for more information on how to prepare, advice on prevention and treatment, and expert recommendations.
But the more expensive options, like Boson and the Clinitest Rapid Covid-19 Antigen Self-Test X, include five or more tests per box, making them fairly cost-effective for families or large groups of people. There was a time when people could order free at-home tests through the United States Postal Service. However, Congress didn’t renew funding for the program, so it was suspended on Sept. 2, 2022. If you’re traveling internationally, be prepared for some nations to restrict tests that aren’t authorized at the travel destination. Plan ahead by contacting your destination for further information before you embark. We looked at tests granted Emergency Use Authorization by the FDA and considered each test based on its type and collection method, while also considering required technology, ease of use, and price tag.
As for the instructions, they were illustrated, which helped us work through the steps more easily, but we did think the print size was awfully small. For the quick turnaround time on results, we couldn’t find a better test. With experts predicting a particularly nasty flu and RSV season, it’s more important than ever to keep tabs on COVID, which isn’t going away anytime soon.