| The future arrived by FedEx one day—priority, overnight. Within a rectangular box about the size of a frozen microwaveable dinner was a Covid-19 test from Abbott Laboratories that, from swab to result, can be performed entirely at home in just 15 minutes. I stashed it in my closet and hoped I wouldn't need it. This is the kind of technology advocates have been calling for almost since the start of the pandemic. The idea is to make virus testing—a process that typically requires traveling to a medical facility or drive-through site—as easy and convenient as over-the-counter pregnancy testing. You know the drill by now: Fast, frequent, accessible screening gives vital information not just to individual test-takers but also to public health officials about the number of infections and how that's changing. The test had been prescribed to me after I answered a few questions on an online survey, though I never spoke with a medical provider. I logged into a portal on my laptop, webcam blinking green, and unwrapped the kit when instructed. Each component was swaddled in cardboard and plastic.  Abbott's BinaxNOW home test kit. Source: Abbott Laboratories The disembodied voice of a medical provider (Abbott calls them "proctors") walked me through the steps, while she watched via video feed. I opened up the test itself—a small white card—and squeezed a few drops of liquid from a tiny stopper onto it. Then I turned the swab around a few times in each nostril, and inserted it into holes in the card. Close the card, wait 15 minutes, and voila—negative. It even came with a little green pass ("Result: Negative") to display on my phone, for whoever needed to see it. Performing the screening at home was easier than just about anything else I'd done that week, and certainly easier than trying to chase down a Covid-19 test on a weekend evening. And although these rapid antigen tests have limitations—they're not considered as accurate as gold-standard polymerase chain reaction tests—the experience alleviated my fears about a recent scratchy feeling in my throat. After months of standing on lines, waiting for results and trading intel about the best testing spots, getting a swift answer while seated comfortably on my couch felt somehow anticlimactic. In the background, meanwhile, is the reality that this scene isn't playing out in most households. While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared a smattering of similar at-home tests, many either aren't sold yet or aren't widely available. People don't know about them, and if they do, don't know what to use them for. And then there are other barriers. The test I got, for example, costs $25 but was only available in a pack of six with priority shipping—a price tag of about $165.—Emma Court | 
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