COVID rapid tests hard to find this fall in Sask., and come with a price tag – CBC

Pharmacies say keeping them in stock can be expensive

Oct 03, 2024

COVID-19 rapid test kits, once available for free at pharmacies, grocery stores, schools and libraries in Saskatchewan, are now hard to come by. When they are available, they are usually not free.

Luba Atamanenko, who is 87, was looking for tests while she was sick last week, but couldn’t find any.

“I phoned several places, but they did not have any test kits,” she said.

The Saskatchewan government stopped providing the free kits this spring and many drug stores don’t stock them anymore. If you do find one, a box of four or five tests can cost $20 to $40.

Atamanenko eventually went to an emergency clinic to get tested and confirmed she was positive.

“You don’t have the energy to go and check all the different places … and even the thought of having to drive somewhere was really difficult,” Atamanenko said. “The COVID really hit me hard.”

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/covid-rapid-tests-hard-to-find-1.7342067