Kroger offering OTC COVID-19 antigen test kits
Kroger is the latest retailer to offer Abbott’s BinaxNow COVID-19 Antigen Self-Test. The grocer on Thursday said that the test will be available for purchase at all Kroger retail locations, with availability coming soon to Kroger.com.
"The U.S. has made tremendous strides in the battle with COVID-19, with vaccination efforts proving successful, yet testing continues to be a critical pillar in the fight against this public health crisis," said Colleen Lindholz, president of Kroger Health. "We know Americans will greatly benefit from having access to affordable, at-home testing to support diagnostic needs, and Kroger Health is grateful that we can continue to be part of the solution by providing access to diagnostic testing as well as administering COVID-19 vaccines."
Kroger joins a slate of other retailers who recently added the at-home antigen self-test product to their OTC diagnostics offerings. Each box contains two nasal swab tests, which are meant to be used twice over the course of three days, with at least 36 hours between test. The Food and Drug Administration has noted that serial testing can increase the chances of detecting asymptomatic infections.
"This virus remains unpredictable, which is why we can't let our guard down on testing, especially as people get back to seeing more of each other in a variety of spaces like workplaces, schools, and family events," said Andrea Wainer, executive vice president of Abbott's rapid and molecular diagnostics business. "Abbott will continue making its BinaxNow COVID-19 Antigen Self Test available in more national retail settings like Kroger so that people can quickly and easily find the test and get back to living their pre-pandemic lifestyles with more assurance."
Kroger said that keeping the OTC tests available at home equips people to be prepared, and enables them to feel more confident about attending events, visiting loved ones or traveling when using this test.
The Abbott test joins Kroger’s COVIDCare+ offering, which provides patients, associates and other businesses with solutions that include vaccines, viral and antibody testing and other resources. Kroger said that so far, it has administered more than 3.5 million vaccinations, in collaboration with the Biden administration and the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program.