COVID-19 home tests in short supply in New Bern pharmacies
New Bern residents looking for at-home COVID-19 testing kits may have a long wait ahead of them.
The demand for testing has far outstripped supply in recent weeks with the spread of the highly infectious omicron variant. The at-home tests can be taken regardless of vaccination status and are easy to use for quick results.
A survey of local drugstores Tuesday found only one that had a current supply of testing kits on hand, with no clear indication of when more may be available.
When contacted Tuesday, Realo Drugs, located at 2602 Dr. M.L.K. Jr Blvd, New Bern, had several Flowflex COVID-19 antigen home tests available for $25.99.
Store managers at the two New Bern Walgreens locations as well as the Walmart Supercenter, CVS Pharmacy and Trent East Pharmacy each said their COVID-19 at-home testing stock had run dry.
The lack of availability of the testing kits has become a national issue with the rapid spread of the omicron variant. According to President Joe Biden, his administration will buy 500 million at-home test kits that Americans can order for free beginning mid-January, although the exact timing is not yet clear. In December, the Biden administration mandated that insurers pay for at-home tests as well as lab tests.
Scott Harrelson, director of the Craven County Health Department, said there has been a definite surge in testing since the end of the Christmas holiday. He said the health department is contracting with the COVID testing company OPTUM to help meet the increased demand.
“We went from maybe 15 to 20 tests a day out here to over 100 a day,” he commented. “There’s about a 30% positivity rate across the state, so about a third of the people who test are coming up positive.”
Harrelson said the health department has not been affected by testing supply shortages experienced in other parts of the country. He said the rapid antigen tests, which detect certain proteins in the virus. as well as the more accurate PCR tests, which detect genetic material of the virus, are both being offered at the health department.
Harrelson advised anyone experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, or who believes they have come into contact with the virus, to get tested as soon as possible.
"If you're high risk talk with your healthcare provider about trying to get some of the monoclonal or antiviral treatments that are available," said Harrelson. "Try to get to those as soon as possible."
According to information from the health department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of Jan. 10, 57.79% of Craven County residents had been full vaccinated, while 73.84% had received at least dose
Where is COVID-19 testing available?
Free community COVID-19 testing is currently available at several locations in New Bern.
Testing is being held at the Craven County Health Department, 2818 Neuse Blvd., on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. An appointment is recommended and can be scheduled at https://lhi.care/covidtesting or by calling 1-877-562-4850.
Testing is also available at Goshen Medical Center, 4007 Dr. M.L.K. Jr Blvd, New Bern, on Monday and Thursday, 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., and Friday, 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. No appointment is needed. For more information call 252-772-9995.
Walgreens is also offering free drive-thru COVID-19 testing for ages 3 and older at their two locations in New Bern: 2001 Neuse Blvd. and 3500 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Blvd. Appointments can be made at online. Due to high demand appointments are limited.
How accurate are COVID-19 home tests
Over the counter rapid antigen tests are available without a prescription and return results within 15 minutes. According to information from the Centers for Disease Control, the at-home rapid antigen tests have been shown to have an overall sensitivity of roughly 85%, meaning they catch roughly 85% of people who are infected with the virus, while missing 15%.
A handful of rapid antigen tests are currently for home use, including the Abbott BinaxNOW, the Ellume Covid-19 Home Test and the Quidel QuickVue At-Home Covid-19 Test. The tests procedure involves rubbing a shallow nasal swab inside your nose and then exposing the swab to chemical drops.
According to the CDC, the tests are most effective during the first week of symptoms. The tests have been shown to be excellent at identifying people who have high viral loads, the very people who are most likely to be actively transmitting the virus to others, the CDC notes.
Those who have had a known exposure to the COVID-19 virus but are not showing symptoms should wait three to five days before taking a rapid antigen test, according to the CDC. Testing any sooner may increase the odds of a false negative result.
Beware of price gouging, fake tests
The soaring demand for home COVID-19 testing has also led to charges of price gouging.
The online retailer Tanga, which normally sells an array of products at a discount, is now offering BinaxNow home COVID-19 test kits, which contain two tests, for $59.99 and $349 for 10 boxes. Walmart sells the two-test BinaxNow kit for $19.88. At Walgreens, the kit sells for $23.99.
North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein has called on residents to report instances of price gouging related to the pandemic.
"In particular, our office has heard anecdotally that there may be price gouging occurring on at-home tests," Stein stated in a news release.
Epidemiologist and health economist Eric Feigl-Ding wrote in a series of tweets about the high cost of at-home tests. "The danger in health care is that for any life-saving product — it's vulnerable to price gouging because most people would pay [an] arm and leg — anything — to save the life of a loved one," he wrote.
The US Food and Drug Administration has issued warnings about fraudulent COVID-19 testing kits being sold online.
"It's not a surprise that, according to the US Food and Drug Administration, fake and unauthorized at-home testing kits are popping up online as opportunistic scammers take advantage of the spike in demand," the FTC said in a press release last week.
The FTC suggests following these four steps before buying and using a testing kit:
1. Only buy tests authorized by the US Food and Drug Administration. The FDA's website, has a list of more than 40 authorized home tests, some of which have age restrictions. You can buy these tests online, at pharmacies and some retail stores.
2. Check the FDA's list of fraudulent Covid-19 products, to ensure the test kit you're about to buy, or the company you're going to buy it from, isn't on there.
3. Look at a variety of sellers and compare credible reviews from expert sources like medical professionals or health organizations before making a purchase decision. The FTC also advised searching on the Internet for the seller of the at-home testing kits along with words like "scam," "complaint," or "review" to catch scammers.
4. If you choose to buy a testing kit online, use your credit card so you can dispute the charge if you discover it's a scam.
This article originally appeared on Sun Journal: COVID home tests in short supply for residents due to omicron variant
