At-home COVID-19 test kit orders soar ahead of winter

Yahoo Finance's Anjalee Khemlani discusses the anticipated COVID-19 surge for the winter and how businesses and households are preparing.

Video Transcript

AKIKO FUJITA: Well, those comments from President Biden last week that the pandemic is over created quite a debate over COVID ahead of winter. But businesses are ramping up their orders for at-home COVID testing kits. Yahoo Finance's Anjalee Khemlani is here with the details. And Anjalee, in many ways, this does speak to what businesses see in terms of the trajectory of the pandemic, but also the reality that this is still top of mind for a lot of these companies.

ANJALEE KHEMLANI: Absolutely, and we noticed that in particular, one of the companies I promo, who is basically helping to distribute or selling these for distribution, pointed out that they're starting to see that uptake, especially for indoor venues. And that, I thought, was probably the most interesting point because it really speaks to the level of caution, right, that some are taking as a result of the warnings from health experts that there is going to be a surge. And we have to be really cautious.

Now, it's important to point out that with the reduction of mitigation measures, like required masking indoors and the like, there is that increased risk of catching COVID. We've been seeing slight upticks around the country already. And the tests themselves are actually being used mostly for crew or for the entertainment or whoever it is that is indoors working, rather than, say, the audience, the clients, whoever else.

So I think that that really tells you a lot about the level of risk assessment that businesses are taking on for themselves and how they're learning to distribute that at a time where we don't have much when it comes to outside support.

INES FERRE: And especially as winter is coming as well. I mean, you do-- you can have people who-- I just bought a test just to have it at home as the winter months come.

AKIKO FUJITA: You no longer get the free ones.

ANJALEE KHEMLANI: You no longer get the free ones. So this is also-- so that's also the interesting point because this is businesses doing it, so it's bulk ordering. I did reach out to Walgreens, CVS, and Abbott, Abbott being one of the most in high demand because it's the largest name that people trust. So they are seeing regular uptake. As of right now, no-- and they've all said that they have enough supply for the coming months. So we'll just have to wait and see how that pans out, but definitely something that, like you, Ines, there's a lot of people out there who--

INES FERRE: Stocking up.

ANJALEE KHEMLANI: Yep.

INES FERRE: Stocking up. Thanks so much, Anjalee Khemlani.