(Plymouth Meeting, PA, Monday, January 10, 2022) – As demand for COVID-19 rapid tests increases due to the spread of the omicron variant, the nation’s largest non-profit patient safety organization evaluated seven COVID-19 rapid tests to assess how easy they were to use. According to experts at ECRI, none of the tests rated excellent and some had noteworthy concerns.

ECRI analysts said some tests require particularly fine motor control or have instructions with extremely small font size that may make it difficult for older adults and others to use the tests correctly. Often, these groups are more susceptible to contracting COVID-19 and face more severe complications.

Dr. Marcus Schabacker, president and CEO, explains the importance of test kits being easy to use.

SOUNDBITE #1:

OUR EVALUATION SHOWED THAT SOME RAPID TESTS ARE MUCH EASIER TO USE THAN OTHERS. IF GIVEN AN OPTION, CONSUMERS SHOULD CHOOSE THE TEST THAT RANKED HIGHLY. DIFFICULTY USING A TEST CAN LEAD TO ERRORS.

SOUNDBITE #2:

GIVEN THE DEMAND AND THE LIMITED AVAILABILITY, SOME CONSUMERS MAY NOT BE ABLE TO CHOOSE WHICH RAPID TEST THEY USE. IN THAT CASE, WE RECOMMEND THAT THEY READ ABOUT OUR CONCERNS SO THEY CAN BE EXTRA CAREFUL WHEN USING THE KIT.

See which tests are easiest to use at ECRI.org.