Atlanta

At-home COVID-19 tests are reliable -- but hard to find

ATLANTA — Many people are turning to home testing kits as the delta variant surges in Georgia.

Channel 2′s Dave Huddleston managed to find one of the $25 Binax testing kits at Kroger Monday -- although they are hard to come by these days.

Health officials said they are good at detecting the virus.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

DeKalb County’s health director, Dr. Sandra Valenciano, said home testing kits are very effective, but there is one thing you need to do if you test positive for COVID-19.

TRENDING STORIES:

“It is important that you notify your health department so we can provide you with guidance on when to isolate, and also so that we can do contact tracing and contact those that you may have been in contact with,” Valenciano said.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

The Binax tests are FDA-approved and meet conditions for many travelers who need quick results. Valenciano said you have to follow the directions when you use them, because you could get a false negative.

There’s another brand of home testing kits, but it costs more than $100 and it’s not a rapid test.