Recently, the SPY team returned to the office, and like a lot of people, our immune systems aren’t what they used to be. And with every sniffle, headache and tingle in our throats, we have to wonder if it’s COVID-19. The Omicron variant of COVID-19 recently swept through New York City (and the rest of the world), and now the BA.2 variant is on the rise. The government finally released free COVID-19 home test kits earlier this year (find out how to claim your free COVID-19 tests), but in our experience, these tests took way too long to arrive.
That’s why we’re still regularly updating our guide to the best places to buy COVID tests online. We update that piece as often as we can because these tests do occasionally go out of stock. Still, you can almost always find COVID-19 rapid test kits available for sale online.
Recently, Amazon added a new COVID-19 test kit to its online marketplace, the CLINITEST Rapid Covid-19 Antigen Self-Test. Like other COVID-19 rapid tests, this product has been given emergency authorization by the FDA for home use. Amazon has lowered the price on 5-packs of these test kits to just $37.50, or $7.50 per test. This is the lowest per-item cost we’ve found on COVID-19 tests, and it’s a great option to get you through the rest of cold and flu season.
The CLINITEST kits are produced by Siemens, which is a well-known European company with hundreds of thousands of employees around the world. In addition, this test kit is sold directly by Amazon itself, as opposed to a third-party storefront on the Amazon marketplace, so shoppers can order with confidence. Like the KN95 masks produced by Amazon itself, we think it’s best to avoid third-party sellers on sites like Amazon and Walmart when purchasing personal protective equipment, face masks and other types of PPE.
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Some quick facts about the CLINITEST:
- Provides rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 (aka coronavirus) in 15 minutes
- Non-invasive nasal swab
- 5 tests are included with each order
- Easy to read results (see below)
Finally, according to Siemens, “Siemens Healthineers has conducted internal assessments to confirm that the CLINITEST Rapid COVID-19 Antigen Self-Test is able to detect all current Variants of Concern, including Delta and Omicron variants.” Reuters recently reported that the new BA.2 variant may actually be easier to test with common home test kits, so we believe this kit is a great investment for people who are still COVID cautious.
Also Consider: On/Go Home Test Kits (20-Pack)
Are five tests not enough? Or perhaps you want to purchase bulk test kits for your workplace? In that case, Amazon also sells the popular On/Go at-Home COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Self-Tests in boxes of 20 and 40 tests. Until Amazon started offering CLINITEST kits, these On/Go kits were one of the cheapest options, especially for bulk purchases. For comparison, Amazon shoppers will have to pay over $10 on a per item basis for the On/Go tests.