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, schoolsand 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 thisspring andmany drug stores don't stock them anymore. If you do find one, a box of four or fivetests 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."

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.

COVID-19 is still causing a majority of respiratory illnesses in the province, according toUniversity of Saskatchewan professor and epidemiologist Nazeem Muhajarine. Hewarnedthat case numbers are rising, with a fall surgeimminent, 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, andsick people who may actually need to go to a physician, go to a hospital, and that actually costs more to the system," Muhajarinesaid.

WATCH |Can you still use that COVID-19 rapid test even if it's expired?:

Can you still use that COVID-19 rapid test even if it's expired?

1 year ago

Duration 2:09

For the first time in three years, Saskatchewan in heading into fall without a pandemic. The World Health Organization called off the global emergency back in the spring. As the weather cools, and cold and flu season sets in, experts say COVID-19 shouldn't be ruled out.

Free test kits are still available in Alberta, Manitobaand 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.