SAULT STE. MARIE — After the federal government announced Wednesday that an additional 140 million rapid antigen test kits for COVID-19 will be delivered to provinces and territories this month, people eager to be tested are asking ‘when are they coming and where can we get them?’
It is unclear at this point as to how the tests will get to people across the country, each province and territory to be responsible for its own distribution of test kits.
Ontario Ministry of Health officials were not immediately available for comment Wednesday.
Rapid antigen test kits for COVID-19 are in big demand as the Omicron variant spreads and PCR testing is now reserved for those in high-risk environments such as hospitals and long term care homes.
Rapid antigen tests are available for a fee on a walk-in basis or by appointment online at several Sault pharmacies, but some pharmacy officials told SooToday test kits are scarce.
Previously, the provincial government designated certain LCBO outlets across the province as places where people could pick up test kits for free, the Great Northern Road LCBO outlet being the chosen location in the Sault.
“We got some. They were gone in an hour. We had just under 2,000 of them,” an LCBO staff member told us.
Meanwhile, the Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce has been running a program through which it has been distributing rapid antigen test kits to local businesses with 150 employees or less for free, but Chamber CEO Rory Ring said Wednesday “we are very close to the end of our inventory.”
“I placed an order in early December for another 50,000 tests and I have not received them, but we were affirmed by the province of Ontario this morning that the Chamber’s distribution would be prioritized in terms of receiving that next allotment of rapid antigen tests, for businesses only.”
Local businesses with 150 employees or less may go to the Chamber’s website, follow the links and place their orders for rapid antigen test kits.
“We are hoping that by the end of January we will have our stock replenished. I have enough probably to carry me through next week but that will be about it. We’re very tenuous in terms of our supply,” Ring said.
The Chamber has had the kits available for free since June but the rapid transmission of the Omicron variant has made them very much an in-demand item for businesses and their employees.
Ring said businesses may pick up their orders of kits between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. every Tuesday at the GFL Memorial Gardens player entrance.
