First over the counter, at-home Covid test authorized by FDA, available for order online

Anyone 18 or older will now be able to obtain an at-home, non-prescription Covid-19 test from the LabCorp Pixel website, following emergency use authorization by the Food and Drug Administration.

The kit will allow for individuals to take a nasal swab at home to collect a sample, and then send it off LabCorp, the testing company, for results. The kit must be registered by the patient online  to make the results available through the portal.

“While many home collection kits can be prescribed with a simple online questionnaire, this newly authorized direct-to-consumer collection kit removes that step from the process, allowing anyone to collect their sample and send it to the lab for processing,” Dr. Jeff Shuren, director of FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, said in a statement.

Positive results will be sent to patients by phone with a healthcare provider so that certain steps are taken. Negative results will be sent in an email or available on the website portal.

Before this authorization, the only way to get an at-home testing kit was through a doctor's prescription. Although this newly approved test eliminates the need for a doctor, it is currently only available at the company's website, with plans to get it in stores soon, according to the company's news release.