Walmart and Sam's Club will begin selling at-home COVID-19 tests online this week, the company said Dec. 3.
To get the test, a code must be purchased giving access to a health survey. Once the survey is completed, a physician's order is generated, if appropriate, and the test kit is mailed to the customer.
Self-collected samples are mail to a lab for results. Customers can choose to either receive a nasal or saliva test and can be tested for the flu as well. Results come 24 to 48 hours after the kit arrives at a lab.
If a test is positive, customers will get a telehealth call, Walmart said.
At-home saliva tests are gaining popularity and being rolled out in communities around the country, according to The New York Times. Last week in Orange County, Calif., officials began an effort to distribute 500,000 home saliva tests by the end of December.
In early November, Minnesota became the first state to offer at-home saliva tests for all residents. There, residents are monitored by healthcare workers via Zoom when they take the test, and results are given within 24 to 48 hours.
Scientists have said that well-designed saliva tests can be as accurate as nasal swabs since they also use PCR technology that amplifies small amounts of viral material for testing, according to the Times.