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At-home COVID-19 tests have sold out at some CVS Health pharmacies (New York Stock Exchange: CVS) as a summer surge in case numbers has boosted demand, Bloomberg News reported, citing data from Friday afternoon.
CVS (CVS) locations in Houston, Austin and Reno, Nevada, was among pharmacies that reported that all brands of at-home COVID-19 tests were out of stock. However, the company said at least one brand of test was available in 91% of its store network.
Becton, Dickinson (BDX), QuidelOrtho (QDEL), Abbott Laboratories (ABT), and Roche (OTCQX:RHHBY) (OTCQX:RHHBF) are among the largest manufacturers of at-home COVID-19 tests in the U.S.
The surge in demand coincides with a rise in COVID-19 infections. According to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the week ending July 27, 16% of COVID tests were positive, compared with 14% a week ago.
Meanwhile, CVS (CVS) rival Walgreens (WBA) said it It has abundant supplies of COVID tests, and the company's website also indicated that there were no shortages across its pharmacy network.
However, Walgreens (WBA) and several independent pharmacies in New York City said demand has increased significantly in recent months.
Walgreens (WBA) spokeswoman Molly Sheehan also confirmed that purchases of at-home COVID-19 tests have approached the highest level since the holiday season. Still, Abbott (ABT), the maker of the Binax Covid tests, reported a roughly 61% year-over-year decline in COVID-19 test sales with its second-quarter 2024 results last month.
