Covid Rapid Antigen Tests Available At The Checkout Next Week

From November 1, supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths will be selling Covid at-home self-testing kits to millions of Aussies across the country.

Rapid antigen tests were given the green light by federal Health Minister Greg Hunt back in September.

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Going for around $10 to $30 each, a statement released by Woolworths confirmed that the tests can also be pre-ordered online.

"Rapid antigen testing is helping protect our distribution centre team members across Australia from COVID-19," a Woolworths spokesperson said. 

"We're now looking to stock at-home self-test kits, which have been approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration [TGA], in selected stores from early November.

Head of the TGA, Professor John Skerritt confirmed the rapid antigen tests could be sold across a number of settings, including online and at petrol stations, but they cannot be described as “diagnostic".

"Because it is a screening test and people who test positive should go and have a PCR gold-standard test," Professor Skerritt said.

A much quicker method of testing, the rapid antigen tests can give an indication of whether a person has Covid in under 30 minutes. 

Coles will be stocking behind the service desk, the Hough Pharma Covid Antigen Nasal Test at selected stores and online as early as next week.

While Woolworths will be packing their shelves with the Chinese-manufactured test, again from early November.

The TGA have approved 33 rapid antigen tests for use under the supervision of health professionals, only nine have been approved in Australia for self-testing or home use.

Already widely used across Europe and America, rapid antigen tests are still considered less reliable than a PCR test.

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