Australia Is Getting At-Home COVID-19 Tests From Next Month

Australians will have access to at-home COVID-19 testing from November 1, after the Therapeutic Goods Administration approved three different kits on Thursday.

From November 1, rapid antigen test kits will be available nationwide, making it easier than ever to be tested for COVID-19 in Australia.

To-date, the TGA has approved 33 rapid antigen test kits for use in Australia, however, many of these are only approved for use under the supervision of a health professional. These tests have been used by businesses like aged care facilities for months now, but the new test kits will be the first available for at-home use.

“Home testing will be available from November 1, obviously subject to individual tests being approved as safe and effective,” Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said in a press conference last month. “This is an important additional protection for Australians, home testing to support Australians and the national plan.”

Rapid antigen tests only take 10-15 minutes to conduct, with new test kits offering either nasal swabs or spit testing methods. It’s worth noting that the tests are not as reliable as the PCR tests currently available in Australia — and will not replace these tests — but will be added as an extra option as we move towards a COVID-normal world.

While a negative test result means you’re “unlikely to have COVID”, the TGA has issued a warning that it “is possible for this test to give a negative result that is incorrect (a false negative)”.

If the at-home kit produces a positive result, it is likely that you will be required to undergo a PCR test for official confirmation. However, this will be implemented on a state-by-state basis.

“The early guidance we have is that the expectation would be that if someone is positive they do confirm that with a PCR test,” Hunt said last month. “But those rules, I should say, are not ones that would be set at a parliamentary level, but rightly set under public health orders at a state level.”

While the tests are slightly less accurate, TGA president John Skerritt has asserted that higher vaccination rates across Australia will significantly minimise the consequence of any false negative tests.

There’s no word yet on exactly how much these test kits will cost, or where you’ll be able to buy them, but the Federal Government has hinted that you will likely be able to pick one up from your local chemist.