Use of At-Home COVID-19 Tests — United States, August 23, 2021–March 12, 2022

COVID-19 testing provides information regarding exposure and transmission risks, guides preventative measures (e. g. , if and when to start and end isolation and quarantine), identifies opportunities for appropriate treatments, and helps assess disease prevalence (1). At-home rapid COVID-19 antigen tests (at-home tests) are a convenient and accessible alternative to laboratory-based diagnostic nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 (2-4). With the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 B. 1. 617. 2 (Delta) and B. 1. 1. 529 (Omicron) variants in 2021, demand for at-home tests increased† (5). At-home tests are commonly used for school- or employer-mandated testing and for confirmation of SARS-CoV-2 infection in a COVID-19-like illness or following exposure (6). Mandated COVID-19 reporting requirements omit at-home tests, and there are no standard processes for test takers or manufacturers to share results with appropriate health officials (2). Therefore, with increased COVID-19 at-home test use, laboratory-based reporting systems might increasingly underreport the actual incidence of infection. Data from a cross-sectional, nonprobability-based online survey (August 23, 2021-March 12, 2022) of U. S. adults aged ≥18 years were used to estimate self-reported at-home test use over time, and by demographic characteristics, geography, symptoms/syndromes, and reasons for testing. From the Delta-predominant period (August 23-December 11, 2021) to the Omicron-predominant period (December 19, 2021-March 12, 2022) § (7), at-home test use among respondents with self-reported COVID-19-like illness¶ more than tripled from 5. 7% to 20. 1%. The two most commonly reported reasons for testing among persons who used an at-home test were COVID-19 exposure (39. 4%) and COVID-19-like symptoms (28. 9%). At-home test use differed by race (e. g. , self-identified as White 5. 9% versus self-identified as Black 2. 8%), age (adults aged 30-39 years 6. 4% versus adults aged ≥75 years 3. 6%), household income (>150, 000 9. 5% versus 50, 000-74, 999 4. 7%), education (postgraduate degree 8. 4% versus high school or less 3. 5%), and geography (New England division 9. 6% versus West South Central division 3. 7%). COVID-19 testing, including at-home tests, along with prevention measures, such as quarantine and isolation when warranted, wearing a well-fitted mask when recommended after a positive test or known exposure, and staying up to date with vaccination, ** can help reduce the spread of COVID-19. Further, providing reliable and low-cost or free at-home test kits to underserved populations with otherwise limited access to COVID-19 testing could assist with continued prevention efforts.