Floodgates thrown open for rapid antigen tests
Millions of free rapid antigen tests available within a week via Morrison, Andrews government programs.
The nation will be flooded with tens of millions of free rapid antigen tests within a week, with the Morrison and Andrews governments launching programs to distribute the DIY kits.
The move will relieve pressure on the state-based PCR testing sites, make it easier and quicker for close contacts of positive cases to obtain the 15-minute tests and save Australians from being stung between $15 and $20 per kit.
Demand for rapid tests has been outstripping supply, leading to sellouts at supermarkets and pharmacies in the past week as infection numbers soar and governments move to endorse the tests.
Victoria on Wednesday announced it had bought 34 million rapid tests. Within hours the federal government said it had approved $375m to secure 50 million more, on top of 10 million it had already procured.
As cases soar and Australians rush to buy tests, Scott Morrison is coming under increasing attack from Labor and the states for the current shortages and was accused of leaving a testing policy vacuum.
The Prime Minister said the states were responsible for securing their own rapid tests but the federal government was spending an extra $375m to secure a further 50 million for the national medical stockpile, which is used as an emergency reserve and to meet federal responsibilities, including in aged-care centres.
So far, 1.6 million tests have been supplied to aged-care homes in NSW and 1.2 million in Victoria. One million tests remained in the national stockpile, with three million having already been used. Mr Morrison said a further six million were “arriving very soon”.
Welcoming the announcements from NSW and Victoria that they would secure their own supplies of rapid tests, Mr Morrison said: “That’s their job, and I’m glad they’re doing it.”
Amid fears about supply, Melbourne company Suretest said it had about 70,000 tests on hand, the majority of which were in a Sydney warehouse.
Company medical director Peter Lewis said he could access 14 times its current stock load each week should demand rise.
“We certainly have the ability to pivot very quickly. We’ve got factories overseas that we can get access to very large quantities of tests,” he said. “We can bring in one million kits per week reasonably easily … that’s without struggling.”
Demand for the personal nasal and saliva tests is expected to intensify next week, with the Queensland government abandoning PCR testing requirements for tourists and switching to rapid tests from January 1.
Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley said the 34 million tests would start arriving within days and would be made “freely available, and widely available”.
He said state governments were “stepping up” to “fill the gap” left by the Morrison government.
“We would much prefer to have a national approach … but failing that, as per usual, the states have had to step up and fill the gap that has been left,” he said.
“If I had to commentate endlessly on the areas in which the commonwealth hasn’t stood up to deliver national leadership on so many areas during the course of this pandemic, I would be sounding like a broken record.”
It was a sentiment echoed by Anthony Albanese, who said: “Scott Morrison refuses to step up. We have the NSW government trying to purchase rapid antigen tests that will be available, wait for it, at the end of January, when we have a crisis right now.
“We have businesses that are unable to open, we have people that are waiting day after day after day to get the results of their tests.”
Mr Morrison fired back at his Labor critics. “The commonwealth has responsibilities,” he said. “We are meeting our responsibilities,” he said.
“The discussion I had with Premier (Daniel) Andrews earlier … he understands what the Victorian responsibilities are and the federal responsibilities, and he didn’t raise any issues with me about that.”
The debate over testing comes as Covid-19 infections are surging across much of the nation, fuelled by the end of lockdowns and the more infectious Omicron strain. NSW recorded 11,201 cases on Wednesday, with 625 people in hospital.
More than 157,000 PCR tests were conducted the previous day, with many people waiting hours for their swab.
Victoria recorded 3767 infections from more than 75,000 PCR tests. There are 397 people in Victorian hospitals and 106 of those are being treated in intensive care units.
South Australia recorded 1471 infections from 22,700 tests, with 36 people in hospital. Queensland reported 1589 infections from 35,000 tests. Eight people are in hospital.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk confirmed on Wednesday that people arriving in the state would be permitted to supply a rapid antigen test as proof they are negative for Covid-19.
“From January 1, travellers into Queensland from interstate hot spots can use a negative rapid antigen test to satisfy border pass requirements,” she said.
It was also reported that NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet will on Thursday lobby national cabinet for the removal of PCR testing for international arrivals.
The price of rapid antigen tests is fluctuating across the country, selling as high as $20 in some pharmacies.
Sydney pharmacist Quinn On, who owns a number of independent pharmacies and franchises from Priceline and Discount Drug Stores, said demand had, in some cases, seen prices double.
Before Christmas, his pharmacies sold out of 400 tests at $12 each within two hours. Struggling to get stock from the wholesaler, he bought from a pharmacy that had an excess at double the price. The tests then retailed for $20 and still sold out in a matter of hours, he said.
Mr On said the demand for raid test stock had seen manufacturers and suppliers become selective with who they supplied.
“They now want you to pay upfront. They basically want the money in their account before you pick them up,” he said.
“There’s a lot of brands on the market and no one knows how long demand will last, especially when you’ve got the government saying they’re going to give it out for free.”
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