TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Home-based COVID-19 testing kits will be available at the four major convenience store chains in Taiwan starting Wednesday (June 23).

The Taiwan Food and Drug Administration has approved the sale and use of five COVID screening tests that can be conducted at home, including one produced domestically and four that can be ordered from outside the country.

The approved testing tools are the FORA/VTRUST COVID19 Antigen Self Test (福爾威創家用新型冠狀病毒抗原快速檢驗套組), Lucira CHECK-IT COVID-19 Test Kit (盧西拉家用確可易新型冠狀病毒核酸檢測試劑), Lucira CHECK- IT COVID-19 Test Kit (萊析樂家用新冠病毒核酸檢測組), SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Self Test Nasal (羅氏家用新冠病毒抗原自我檢測套組-鼻腔), and InteliSwab COVID-19 Rapid Test (英斯特家用新冠抗原快篩試劑).

The FORA/VTRUST COVID19 Antigen Self Test, priced at NT$350 (US$12.50) per unit, can be purchased at 7-Eleven stores licensed to sell pharmaceutical products in the northern region beginning at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday. From July 1, the product will be available at all licensed 7-Elevens nationwide, wrote CNA.

From Saturday (June 26), the 3,800 licensed FamilyMart outlets will offer the SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Self Test Nasal in a box priced at NT$1,800 that contains five units. Meanwhile, the FORA/VTRUST product, which contains 20 units, is available for NT$5,880 and can be pre-ordered using the FamiPort kiosk.

Hi-Life will provide FORA/VTRUST kits at NT$1,700 per box of five units at Taipei's Dihua branch and New Taipei's Wugong branch from 3 p.m. on Wednesday while stock lasts. As for OK Mart, only members are allowed to purchase the SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Self Test Nasal tests by pre-order between June 24 and 30 at NT$1,799 a box.

According to the COVID self-testing guideline released by the FDA, those who test positive should call 1922 or contact the local health authorities to arrange for a PCR test at screening centers.