- Amazon is limiting the purchase of at-home COVID PCR tests to 10 kits per shopper.
- The company is responding to a run on kits as the Omicron variant continues to spread.
- President Biden announced a plan on Tuesday to roll out 500 million free COVID test kits starting January.
Amazon is limiting the sale of its $40 at-home COVID PCR testing kits to 10 per customer.
The quota is a response to increased demand as the fast-spreading Omicron variant surges across the country, a spokesperson told CNBC on Wednesday. The at-home kits have become increasingly popular for Americans looking to ensure their health status ahead of holiday travel, while dodging the lengthy lines that have once again sprung up at testing sites around the country.
While the spokesperson said Amazon is currently working to secure more availability from its selling partners, other vendors on the e-commerce marketplace are also setting limits, including the #1 best-selling iHealth Labs Antigen Rapid Test, which is now limited to five per person and won't be delivered until after January 1.
Third-party sellers like iHealth Labs are responsible for setting their own purchase limits, Amazon told CNBC.
The online retail giant is the latest retailer to ration its supply of COVID tests, following Walgreens and CVS Health, which also set limits this week on purchases of their own testing kits, both in-store and online.
On Tuesday, President Biden announced a plan to provide 500 million free at-home test kits to Americans in January, an effort to make COVID tests more accessible amid test kit shortages. Biden also reiterated the importance of vaccinations and boosters to fight the onslaught of the Omicron and Delta variants. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization recommended canceling or postponing holiday plans this year in response to rising Omicron cases.
Amazon was not immediately available to respond to Insider's request for comment about the COVID test shortage.