By Carl O’Donnell
(Reuters) – Becton Dickinson and Co has partnered with Amazon.com Inc to begin shipment of a new at-home rapid COVID-19 test that can confirm results using an entirely automated smartphone app.
The BD Veritor At-Home COVID-19 Test, which was authorized by U.S. regulators in August, also automatically reports results to federal and state public health authorities.
“One of the unique things about this test is that it’s really the very first test to actually have an interpreted digital result,” said Dave Hickey, president of Becton Dickinson’s life sciences business.
Other at-home tests generally require results to be submitted for an in-person review.
Becton Dickinson plans to add further distribution partners alongside Amazon as sales of the test ramp up, Hickey added.
Rapid tests have been in increasingly short supply in recent months as U.S. employers and schools have rushed to stock up. The White House in September said it planned to mandate weekly testing for unvaccinated staff at businesses with more than 100 employees.
The BD Veritor at-home test will retail for $20, but Amazon is selling the tests for less than $14 each as part of its testing partnership with the U.S. government.
(Reporting by Carl O’Donnell; Editing by Jan Harvey)
