Since 2019, over 78 million Americans have fallen ill to the coronavirus. Our world is opening back up despite the ongoing threat, and one way to enjoy our freedom while keeping our community safe is home coronavirus test kits.
Antigen home test kits help us identify whether we’ve contracted the coronavirus so we can stay home and stop the spread. In this article, we take a look at the test kits available, their features, prices, and accuracy to help you make an informed decision on which test kits to use.
Home tests are important tools to help reduce the strain on COVID test sites during COVID surges. The added benefit to you is convenience. You can administer antigen home tests anywhere and get immediate results.
If the price of the home test kits concerns you, talk to your insurer. They must cover the cost for up to $12 but may reimburse the entire amount depending on your coverage.
You may have heard the antigen test referred to as a rapid COVID-19 test. These terms are interchangeable.
Different brands of antigen home test kits have different instructions. But, the general function of these tests is similar. They detect the presence of COVID-19 antigens in your body.
The antigen test requires you to swab your nasal passage or mouth and collect antigens. Then, you mix the swab with a fluid to break down the cells.
After the fluid mixes with the sample, you add it to the test kit which has a test strip painted with SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. If COVID antigens are present in the fluid, they will bind to the painted parts of the strip.
In most antigen home tests, this triggers a reaction that causes the painted line to change colors, indicating a positive result.
The reaction can take as little as 10 minutes. However, some at home kits take up to half an hour. Be sure to read the instructions with care to understand when your test results will be ready.
The antigen testing process is much faster than PCR testing, which looks for genetic material and takes days to complete.
As a rule, antigen tests, including antigen home test kits, are less reliable than the PCR test. However, manufacturers include fail-safes, so you can trust them to deliver accurate test results.
Most antigen test kits make up for their margin of error by including two tests per kit. The second test, taken around 2 days after the first, reduces the margin of error.
The biggest threat to antigen home test accuracy is user error. As the average American is not a healthcare professional, we may make mistakes. Again, the second test is vital to ensuring accuracy.
Other things you can do to get an accurate result include:
With these fail-safes and guidelines, rapid tests are quite reliable and convenient for everyone.
BinaxNOW is a rapid antigen home test kit. It holds FDA Emergency Use authorization and, as of November 26th, 2021, detects multiple strains of COVID, including Delta and Omicron.
Each BinaxNOW covid self test antigen test kit comes with two separate tests. Patients should take their tests 36 hours apart to better assess their COVID symptoms.
Peach Medical offers BinaxNOW test kits in multiple quantities, ranging from 1 kit to 100 kits and wholesale.
The Quickvue antigen home test kit also includes two tests per kit. As the name suggests, Quickvue is the fastest rapid COVID-19 test available to home users.Â
Quickvue is authorized for self-administration in users 14 or older. Adult users may also administer Quickvue to individuals 2 years or older. You should administer all tests within six days of symptom onset.
Peach Medical offers bulk purchase of Quickvue antigen home test kits  in quantities ranging from 1 to 25 kits and wholesale.
iHealth is an FDA authorized antigen home test that bears results in as little as 15 minutes. Each kit comes with two tests.
Aside from the same features of other home rapid tests, iHealth offers a mobile app to help manage group test results. The mobile app is ideal for those who need to track group infections like school administrators, office managers, and event coordinators.
Peach Medical sells iHealth test kits in quantities ranging from 1 to 100 kits and wholesale.
The FDA authorized CareStart rapid COVID-19 tests for non-prescription home use. Within the first 7 days of symptom onset, administer the CareStart antigen home test kit for rapid COVID-19 results.
Each kit comes with:
CareStart rates their products as suitable for asymptomatic use when tested twice, with 24-48 hours between each test. Their products are safe for self-administration in those 14 and older or adult administration on children 2 and older.
Peach Medical offers Carestart in quantities ranging from 1 to 100 kits and wholesale.
FlowFlex is a great budget option for antigen home test kits. perfect budget option for antigen home test kits. FlowFlex test kits use a swab to test for COVID-19 antigens. Each FlowFlex kit comes with 1 test.
Unlike other test kits, you may administer these swabs nasally or orally in accordance with the manufacturer’s directions. This makes testing young children easy and painless. However, oral results are less accurate than those collected through nasal channels.
Peach Medical sells FlowFlex rapid tests ranging from 1 test to 100 tests and wholesale.
The Lucira test kit is an authorized OTC antigen kit that uses the nasal swab method. It is suitable for self-administration in adults and children over 14. Adults can also administer this test to children 2 and older.
The Lucira antigen test kit is more than a positive or negative result. Testers may opt into the LUCI PASSTM service. LUCI PASSTM is a text service featuring a public health reporting function that allows users to immediately share their results with relevant public health authorities.
Lucira can detect all COVID-19 strains including the latest mu and omicron variants. Its molecular testing process takes longer than other kits but offers some of the most accurate results available at home.
Peach Medical Sourcing is one of the only online stores that offer people to buy Lucira home test kits . These test kits are available in quantities ranging from 1 kit to 24 kits and wholesale.
Positive results indicate you’ve contracted COVID-19. The CDC recommends quarantining for at least 5 days and avoiding close contact with those in your home. If you live with others, you should wear a mask when interacting with them.
Moreover, if you must leave the house to go to the hospital or pharmacy, wear a mask and stay at least 6 feet away from other people.
Call your close contacts and medical provider to inform them of your infection. As you wait out the infection, pay attention to emergency warning signs. If you develop any emergent conditions, do not hesitate to seek immediate medical care.
According to CDC guidelines, negative results do not indicate the absence of COVID-19. Continue to social distance and wear a mask until your second test also yields a negative result. Then, you can be confident that your body is COVID-free.
Selecting antigen home test kits is a matter of personal preference, budget, and availability. Drug stores worldwide are selling out of their rapid COVID-19 tests as soon as they hit the shelves.
At Peach Medical Sourcing, we always have what you need in stock. Most of our antigen home test kits include same-day shipping, so you can get back to normal as soon as possible. Check out the largest range of antigen home test kits delivered straight to your door at our online store today.
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