Rapid tests are less accessible even as COVID wave ramps up across Canada, doctors say – CBC

Changing policies and lack of communication leaves people in the dark about testing

Sep 28, 2023

A couple of weeks ago, Andrew Longhurst and his family started to feel worse for wear.

Wanting to test themselves for COVID-19, Longhurst, who lives with his wife and four-year-old son in Roberts Creek, B.C., travelled to pharmacies in nearby Sechelt and Gibsons in search of rapid test kits.

“Two of the pharmacies I went to were out [of tests] and at that point, I stopped looking because I did find some more boxes in our house,” Longhurst said. “It’s more than frustrating that at a time when we’re going into a big surge, the only [testing] tool that we have at our disposal is not readily available.”

In B.C., COVID-19 rapid tests are still being distributed in most pharmacies for free, but people like Longhurst in smaller, rural communities may have a harder time finding them.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/rapid-tests-less-accessible-1.6980369