At-home COVID-19 tests: Where can you find them and how much can you trust the results?

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — This holiday season, at-home COVID-19 tests have become more popular than they ever been.

And with more people planning to gather in person this year, testing is one of the tools health experts say can help us stop the spread of the virus.

Action News Jax Courtney Cole spent the day trying to find the places you could find an at-home COVID-19 test. Stores are having a hard time keeping the testing kits on their shelves. Cole also spoke to Dr. Chirag Patel, the Assistant Chief Medical Officer at UF Health, about the accuracy of the tests and if you can trust the results you get.

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Finding a COVID-19 at-home test is almost like finding gold this holiday season.

Jamicia Grigsby told Cole, while preparing for a family trip to Atlanta, she has noticed stock is limited.

“We were looking online, I was looking at Walgreens and I did not see any. So hopefully, we can find some,” Grigsby said.

Grigsby said she, along with her husband Demetrius Grigsby and their daughter Nia, usually get tested whenever they’re going to travel.

RELATED: ‘We can’t take any chances:’ Jacksonville COVID-19 testing sites busier Monday after holiday

But they also have plans to test again once they arrive, just to be extra cautious.

“We’re trying to get some before we leave, so hopefully we can find some time at one of the pharmacies or grocery stores,” Jamicia Grigsby said.

Cole visited a local Walgreens on Jacksonville’s Westside. After she couldn’t find any on the shelves, she spoke to a cashier who said they were completely out of COVID-19 tests.

She followed-up with a search on Walgreens.com, which suggests shoppers visit the closest store to them to see what is actually in-stock.

RELATED: Coronavirus tests: How can you get an at-home COVID-19 test?

Cole also visited a local CVS, where she was able to find a Flowflex at-home COVID-19 test. The cashier told her the Binax Now at-home COVID-19 tests were all sold out.

A CVS.com search shows COVID-19 tests out of stock.

We checked Target’s website as well, which also showed COVID-19 tests out of stock in a number of locations.

Patel said at-home tests are a good preventative strategy to keep people around you safe.

Cole: ”I’ve tested myself, I have followed the instructions, I think I’ve done it just right. How accurate is that result going to be with that at home test?”

Patel: “There’s a few things you have to consider with these tests. Number one: it’s our own personal technique. How do we collect it? Did we follow the instructions according to how the manufacturer wanted us to collect it? Was the sample that we got from our nose a really good quality sample? Is the swab dry, is it wet, that sort of thing. That’s the biggest step in the reliability of these test.”

Patel said the other big thing is how long you wait to test after COVID-19 exposure.

“Typically it’s 2 to 5 days after exposure is when the virus has grown in sufficient quantity in your body to make one of those test kits, sense it. If it’s negative on two consecutive tests, then you’ve got over a 90% chance of saying—this is negative, I feel pretty certain that I don’t have it. If it’s two tests and they’re positive, it is more than 80% reliable, but it’s going to be 2 to 5 days after you’re exposed, that they’re actually worthwhile,” Patel said.

“We just want to be safe and make sure we need to bring anything up there that shouldn’t be going,” Demetrius Grigsby said.

Cole: “Let’s say, you know, I’ve tested negative, but I still have symptoms, what should I do next?”

Patel: “And that’s something that’s really important. If you’ve use an at-home test kit and you’ve tested negative, but you still are feeling ill or have symptoms that are consistent, call your healthcare provider and if you don’t have a healthcare provider, seek one out — or even urgent care or try to call the clinic or health department to see if you can be seen or tested using one of the molecular PCR tests, which are way more accurate than the home kits.”

However, if you’re completely asymptomatic and you haven’t had any exposure, Patel said he’s recommends using an at-home test within 48 hours – if you’re planning to gather with people.

“And then again remember, with most of those at-home test kits, you’re going to re-test either a day or a couple of days after that initial test, to really maximize the effectiveness and the reliability of that result,” Patel said.

Patel said although right now COVID-19 tests are on limited supply, they’ve heard from the government that there is a request for more tests to be mass produced and be made readily available.

“At UF Health Jacksonville, we’re confident in our supply, if we have patients that are seeking our care, that we will be able to test them effectively and in a timely fashion to get them the results,” Patel said.

‘We can’t take any chances:’ Jacksonville COVID-19 testing sites busier Monday after holiday

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