Americans ramp up Google searches for Covid tests amid scarcity

The number of Americans looking up ‘at-home Covid test near me’ on the platform has doubled in the past month, according to Google Trends, while those asking how long rapid test results take is up by 250%. — Photo by Lucia Macedo on Unsplash

Searches for Covid-19 tests on Google are surging as the delta variant spreads in the US and more employers and large-scale events require testing.

The number of Americans looking up “at-home Covid test near me” on the platform has doubled in the past month, according to Google Trends, while those asking how long rapid test results take is up by 250%. In the past week, users were also more interested in searches related to tests, rather than vaccines, in most states, with Louisiana and Mississippi as exceptions.