Walmart Will Sell At-Home COVID Tests
The Claim
Walmart plans to sell $10 at-home COVID-19 tests.
News posted on
Emerging story
Social media users are sharing a story claiming that heirs to the Walmart fortune are backing efforts to develop an at-home COVID-19 test. If successful, the test could sell at the giant retailer for as little as $10.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar has discovered that the billionaire Walton family, who controls Walmart Inc., is investing in a start-up company that is developing a COVID-19 antibody blood test. According to FoxBusiness.com, NowDiagnostics Inc., based 20 miles south of Walmart’s corporate headquarters, is working on one COVID-19 blood test and two COVID-19 saliva tests.
According to APKMetroNews.com, Walmart has been in talks with NowDiagnostics about promoting checks for illnesses just like the flu, as a part of a push to supply extra fixed-priced health-care providers and merchandise. These discussions expanded throughout the pandemic to incorporate COVID-19 diagnostic and serologic checks.
On November 17, the FDA approved the first at-home CVID-19 test kit. The Lucira COVID-19 All-In-One Test Kit is a single use test that is intended to detect the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19. The Lucira COVID-19 All-In-One Test Kit test has been authorized for home use with self-collected nasal swab samples in individuals age 14 and older who are suspected of COVID-19 by their health care provider. The kit costs approximately $50. NowDiagnostics hopes to promote every of its three COVID-19 checks for underneath $10, according to APKmetro.com.
Walmart already has hundreds of stores that offer COVID-19 testing from pharmacy windows or parking lots, in partnership with federal and state governments, labs and insurance companies. Those sites currently send samples to lab companies like Quest Diagnostics Inc. and eTrueNorth for processing.
