The COVID-19 antigen home-testing kit is displayed by an employee at a drug store in Zhoushan. [Photo/WeChat account: zjzsrbs]

The first batch of COVID-19 antigen home-testing kits are now available at 60 drug stores around Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang province, local media reported on March 24.

The Liken Pharmacy in the city is selling the COVID-19 antigen kits manufactured by Boosse (Tianjin) Biotechnology Co Ltd.

According to Liu Boyan, the director of the pharmacy, buyers of antigen self-testing products are required to register using their identification cards.

China last week added antigen detection as an option for COVID-19 testing among the public, in efforts to boost the early discovery of COVID-19 cases, according to the National Health Commission (NHC).

Antigen detection is applicable to people with symptoms like cough or fever, people under quarantine observation and people who want to do antigen self-testing.

COVID-19 antigen self-testing products can be bought directly through e-commerce giant Alibaba's Taobao app since March 14, and the prices for one reagent for each sample are around 20 yuan (about $3.15).

The COVID-19 antigen self-testing products allow people to test for the virus by swabbing their nose. Results will be generated within 20 minutes.

Antigen detection results can now be used in screening for COVID-19 infection, while nucleic acid test results are still decisive for diagnosis, said the NHC.