COVID rapid tests hard to find this fall in Sask., and come with a price tag
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.
Luba Atamanenko, 87, said it was frustrating to not find any COVID-19 testing kits available when she was sick. (CBC News)
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."
Courtney Junop is a pharmacist and owner of Medicine Shoppe locations in Evergreen and Royal University Hospital. She said inquiries for tests have increased recently, but many people decide not to buy when they hear the cost.
"There is a cost to us to have them on hand and inventory costs, same as anything else we stock. So if they don't move, we are out that cost," Junop said.
Courtney Junop, a pharmacist in Saskatoon, said inquiries about COVID tests have increased recently, but some people are turned off by the cost. (CBC News)
COVID-19 is still causing a majority of respiratory illnesses in the province, according to University of Saskatchewan professor and epidemiologist Nazeem Muhajarine. He warned that case numbers are rising, with a fall surge imminent, and said it's difficult to keep track because of the general lack of testing.
"What we are risking is people staying home without working, lost wages, lost productivity, and sick people who may actually need to go to a physician, go to a hospital, and that actually costs more to the system," Muhajarine said.
Free test kits are still available in Alberta, Manitoba and some places south of the border, but the Saskatchewan government says people can get tested through their family doctor or a walk-in clinic.
"I think that's disgusting. I think the government should be supplying it. It should be available for anybody that requires it," Atamanenko said.
Updated COVID-19 and flu vaccinations will be available later this month. Vulnerable populations can register starting Oct. 8, with the general public eligible from Oct. 15.
