Walgreens and CVS will limit the number of at-home COVID tests customers can buy at a time as Omicron cases surge

• Walgreens and CVS will now limit the number of at-home COVID tests customers can purchase at a time.
• Both companies cited increased demand for the tests as the Omicron variant spreads nationwide.

Walgreens and CVS will limit the number of at-home COVID tests customers can purchase amid a wave of Omicron cases nationwide.

A Walgreens spokesperson told Insider on Tuesday that due to the "incredible demand" for at-home tests, the company will limit customers to four at-home test kits per purchase in stores and online "in an effort to help improve inventory while we continue to work diligently with our supplier partners to best meet customer demands."

CNBC's Spencer Kimball was the first to report that Walgreens would limit purchases.

A CVS spokesperson told Insider Tuesday afternoon that the company has also decided to institute a limit on test purchases — CVS customers can now buy up to six test kits per purchase.

Due to the increased demand for tests, and to prioritize having tests on store shelves, kits also may be temporarily out of stock online, the spokesperson said.

Rite Aid spokesperson Jeffrey Olson told Insider that the pharmacy chain isn't currently limiting rapid test purchases, but that it is seeing "increasingly high demand" heading into the holiday season.

"In many areas, demand is simply outpacing supply from manufacturers," Olson said. "As we receive shipments, Rite Aid is quickly making rapid at-home testing kits available in stores and at riteaid.com."

Olson also urged customers to take advantage of drive-thru testing at Rite Aid locations nationwide.

The new limits on at-home tests comes amid a surge in new COVID cases nationwide.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday that the Omicron variant now accounts for 73% of recent confirmed cases in the US — in some areas of the country, including parts of the Northeast, more than 90% of confirmed cases are Omicron. On Monday, New York State set a new record for positive COVID cases for the third day in a row, reporting 22,478 cases statewide.

President Joe Biden is expected to announce Tuesday that his administration will purchase and distribute 500 million at-home tests, CNBC reported. But the tests won't come until January, missing the busy holiday travel season that experts warn could lead to a rise in new cases.