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Bulk items in my Costco cart: fruit snacks, running socks, and spit samplers. Costco has started selling at-home Covid-19 tests online, Business Insider reports.
How it works: For $130/kit, Costco will ship saliva tests to members’ homes. Members then send their drool to a testing center in a pre-provided package; results come back in 24 to 48 hours.
Most Covid-19 tests offered by retailers have been limited to drive-thru testing with deep nasal swabs. But Hims, the DTC telehealth brand, also sells a spit-sample Covid-19 test in the same price range.
Why so few? Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval is harder to come by than a blue checkmark on Twitter, for good reason. Saliva tests are a relatively new form of diagnostic testing, and some versions haven’t always delivered reliable results.
When more are approved...big box pharmacy brands (CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens) and big boxes expanding to healthcare services (Walmart) may consider carrying at-home tests. Health experts say that increased at-home testing options could improve virus tracing efforts.
Editor's note: A previous version of this story incorrectly defined the FDA as the "Federal Drug Administration." We regret the error.