LUCIRA® by Pfizer COVID-19 & Flu Home Test, First and Only At-Home Molecular Test for COVID-19 and Flu A/B, Single-Use, Results in 30 Minutes, Emergency Use Authorized (EUA)

At the selling price this device is amazing. It's battery powered and it does an actual PCR test for covid, flu a and flu b just like you'd get at a clinic. So as long as you get a good swab it's much more sensitive than an antigen test. The LEDs for + and - for all three tests are obvious and easy to read. My wife was negative for flu 3 times with the usual home antigen test, even though symptomatic of something... This thing eliminated the ambiguity. Flu a + lit up after about 10 minutes. The two negatives took the full promised 30 mimutes to process. Collecting the sample swab and stirring it around in the liquid works just like the antigen tests you've done a bunch already. Only difference is next step is capping the vial and pressing it down in the test unit. Then just relax and watch the lights. You won't need a magnifying glass to interpret, that's for sure. It seems wasteful to trash the whole thing, but that's what they'll have to do at the clinic with the professional cartridge that wholesales for twice as much and still needs a $100k machine to process! Plus you've got a pair of mostly good AA batteries to keep when you're done. Worth it? It's maybe 10x what you'd pay for an antigen test when bought in multipack, you trash a single use device, and it takes 30 minutes vs 10 or 15. OTOH it produces a more confident result that's much easier to read as well. Vs a doctor's visit, it's more convenient, Prime delivery is about the same time frame as getting an appointment and you don't go anyehere. If you're cash pay, this could save you over $100. Otherwise YMMV with your insurance . It won't write you a doctor's note, if you meed that, and it doesn't do RSV that the office test probably will include. The device I received had an expiration date about 4.5 months in the future.

While these are more expensive than the others, one test to rule out three illnesses is super helpful. This Christmas brought Covid, unfortunately. The test is easy to administer and has a very clear positive or negative. The test lit up quickly and clearly with that positive, while it took a bit longer for the other results to come through. Thankfully, no flu. I was able to get paxlovid quickly as a result. I have used a few of these previously and my only complaint is when there is an invalid test result, I wish we could submit online for a new test.

TERRIBLE. Do not waste your money. I was so excited at the chance to have a flu and covid test at home so I ignored the other reviews saying this was a bad product. I was SO wrong. The test I bought didn't work. It just stayed on "ready" and then eventually switched to all lights blinking, which indicates a faulty test. When I called to get a replacement, I had to jump through SO many hoops. The person on the phone even had the audacity to ask if I read the directions prior to using the test. After you create an online account, report your error, upload photos, talk on the phone for an hour, and wait a few days, they do send you a replacement. But if, like me, you are taking the test because you are sick and want to know if you should visit the doctor, waiting a few days to test again isn't really feasible. And talking on the phone when sick and coughing is ultimately really obnoxious. This will be a good idea if they can reduce their error and faulty test rate, but at this point having a 1/300 chance of getting a bad test is just insane. Especially for the high price. The test itself is "easy" to use, it's just that you don't actually get a real result a LOT of the time.

Outstanding product. We returned from a trip to the Caribbean last weekend and on Monday night felt like we'd been hit by a truck. Instant high fever with headache and dry cough. Sure seemed like the flu, but I had these tests on hand, so we used them. Watching the test work was fascinating; it found Flu A within 15 minutes, so that light went steady, but the test kept "working," looking to make sure that Flu B and/or Covid wasn't also present. The result was super clear, and the insight was a relief (to know that it wasn't another more serious illness such as a mosquito-borne tropical disease.) I know these tests are pricey, but - for heaven's sake - they use the same technology as used in laboratories with at-home convenience and will detect the molecular presence of a virus often before the person is even infectious. The COVID-only version of these tests probably saved a life in my family as one flagged someone with COVID before they had any symptoms (and before they could infect a high-risk family member) during the Omicron wave. If you have the money, they are worth every penny. If you don't, check with your insurance to see if they are partially covered. (And, let's all lobby the gov't to make these tests fully covered, as the potential for reducing spread is invaluable.) Bottom line: highly recommend.

I never had issues with the single COVID test - was always reliable, fast, accurate when I actually did catch COVID. The Flu/COVID combined test on the other hand has an extremely high failure rate - up to 75% of the units I've purchased. Pfizer will send a replacement test if you get an error by calling their customer service line, pretty painless but it takes time to do which Isn't great when you need a test right away (you need to take a photo and send the test back to them). So far I've sent back 5 tests, and now have to send back 2 more. Hope they can get the reliability up to what it once was with the original device.

I have been using these pre Pfizer’s take over of Lucira and the ccurrent Pfizer tests. It was recommended by my urgent care nurse. It is what is used by my Sutter doctors, Sutter urgent cares, and the hospitals in my area. They work really well but occasionally you get an invalid test. If you contact support they will send you a new one. They stand by there product. I would recommend buying more than one test. I would do that for any COVID test. They are similar to the Molecular test vs Antigen tests. They are cheaper than they use to be. Amazon sells them sometimes for $39.00 -5 49.00. You also get the Flu test along with it so it knocks out 3 tests in one. if you do not want to see the doctor or use the telehealth doctor’s appointment, then this is the best choice. I recommend it. Good luck!

I’ve been testing for 5 days with Binax and Quickvue - each gave negative results daily. Then my wife and 1 year old (on the same day) both become symptomatic and test positive. I use another Binax - negative but I am still symptomatic. At this point everyone in the house has Covid, I have Covid symptoms but these cheap tests are negative. Went on a limb and bought this before going for PCR at pharmacy. Next day it arrived - followed instructions exactly and in minutes the Covid light illuminated. Not surprised, but thankful to finally have accurate and sensitive results. It’s pricey, but you definitely get what you pay for and I will buy this again before any other test.

This is one of the first combo tests for flu and COVID-19. By training, I am a microbiologist and infectious disease epidemiologist. Thus, I ordered some of these new tests to see how well they worked and how easy they were. As additional background, I have run infectious disease laboratories and have designed diagnostic assays. Thus, having an at-home test is always a nice luxury. The instructions were easy to use. I will note that when you put the vial in the reader, do not push it all the way down, as that is when the test will actually start. So be sure to mix your swab in the buffer (purple liquid) for the appropriate time and then cap the viral and push down. I ran the first test (far left in the picture) and within 10 minutes it came up as positive for influenza B. Currently, in the US, in my age bracket, flu B makes up about 17% of diagnosed cases, so the biological rationale is that this could be real. However, I was asymptomatic and was only running the test to see how easy it was to run. I then retested on a rapid antigen test that included SARS-CoV-2, Flu A, Flu B, and RSV. These unfortunately are not available in the US but I had some left over from a trip to Europe. That was negative for all of those pathogens. Since these molecular tests have a lower limit of detection (meaning they can detect small amounts of viral nucleic acid compared to rapid antigen tests). However I did buy four of the Lucira tests, so I ran another one (far right in the photo). That came back negative for all of the pathogens. This is highly concerning. Given no diagnostic test is perfect, had I only had one test on hand and no way to corroborate the first test result I would have been isolating thinking that I had influenza B. When in actuality, it seems most likely that the first test was a false positive result. Looking at the Instructions for Use on the FDA website, it shows for Flu B, that in 364 PCR negative samples, 1 was positive on the Lucira test. So there is always a possibility that you test results may not be accurate. However, it was curious that this happened the first time I used this assay. I would personally avoid this product. I have been using many of the at-home tests for the past few years and have NEVER had a false positive. Thus, this has put much doubt into the results and the technology behind this product. This is the only molecular combo assay for SARS-CoV-2 and Flu on the market at this point, but others will be released shortly and I would interpret these results carefully. Really, I would love if they refunded me the cost of one test, but I won't hold my breath there.