You can still find at-home COVID tests around Louisville, but demand is outpacing supply

Sarah Ladd and Deborah Yetter, Louisville Courier Journal
·4 min read
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Shepherdsville pharmacist Ashley Buckman has been fielding calls lately from frustrated customers seeking home test kits for COVID-19.

"A lot of them have been asking for them," said Buckman, whose B&B Pharmacy ran out of the coveted kits. "The next question is 'Do you know where I can find some?'"

With demand high and supply low, customers are finding the test kits hard to come by with some stores out of stock following a surge in purchases from people anxious to check for COVID-19 before holiday gatherings.

Home test kits for COVID-19 are still available in some local pharmacies and through the Louisville health department.
Home test kits for COVID-19 are still available in some local pharmacies and through the Louisville health department.

"I know people bought a lot and have been using them over the holidays," said Dr. Jason Smith, chief medical officer of University of Louisville Health. "These are still finite resources. They're only making so many per day."

The spread of the new, more contagious omicron variant of COVID-19 is likely increasing demand for the test kits, Smith said.

Still, the test kits are available at local stores though some are limiting purchases to stretch supplies.

For example, CVS is limiting purchases to six test kits per customer to "ensure equitable access," a spokeswoman said.

Pharmacist Ashley Buckman, left, and his staff fill prescriptions during a busy afternoon at B & B Pharmacy in Shepherdsville. Customers are finding that COVID-19 test kits are hard to come by with some stores out of stock following a surge in purchases from people anxious to check for COVID-19 before holiday gatherings.
Pharmacist Ashley Buckman, left, and his staff fill prescriptions during a busy afternoon at B & B Pharmacy in Shepherdsville. Customers are finding that COVID-19 test kits are hard to come by with some stores out of stock following a surge in purchases from people anxious to check for COVID-19 before holiday gatherings.

On Tuesday, a reporter found several brands of test kits available at both the CVS and Walgreens drugstores in the Highlands. But a third pharmacy in the area had none left and couldn't say when more might arrive.

Louisville Metro Public Health and Wellness department still has free test kits available at some locations, though supplies are dwindling.

Ben Mudd, executive director of the Kentucky Pharmacists Association, said manufacturers have not been able to keep up with demand for the tests that seems to surge along with surges in cases of COVID-19.

"With a lull, you start seeing them on the shelf," Mudd said. "As soon as you see the uptick, all of a sudden the shelves are cleaned out again."

B&B Pharmacy is located at 1578 KY-44 in Shepherdsville, Kentucky. Customers are finding that COVID-19 test kits are hard to come by with some stores out of stock following a surge in purchases from people anxious to check for COVID-19 before holiday gatherings.
B&B Pharmacy is located at 1578 KY-44 in Shepherdsville, Kentucky. Customers are finding that COVID-19 test kits are hard to come by with some stores out of stock following a surge in purchases from people anxious to check for COVID-19 before holiday gatherings.

Mudd said Kentucky's small, independent pharmacies have had a harder time getting and keeping the test kits in stock because of the buying clout of national chains.

Buckman said that may be the case for his drugstores in Shepherdsville and Mount Washington, which are both out of test kits.

"We haven't had any luck getting them," he said. "Our wholesaler does not have them."

Some retailers also offer the test kits online, but on Tuesday, websites for Walgreens and CVS both said supplies were temporarily out of stock for shipping.

CVS spokeswoman Tara Burke said the retail chain "continues to work around the clock" to keep test kits in stores, though online supplies may be temporarily out of stock.

"We're committed to providing families with protection and peace of mind during the holiday season…" Burke said in an email. Meanwhile, she said, in-person testing is available at 4,800 CVS pharmacy locations.

The shortage of home tests for consumers could ease in January when the administration of President Joe Biden says it plans to make a half-billion free tests kits available to Americans. The president's plan calls for people to order the kits through a website and have them mailed to their homes.

Pharmacist Ashley Buckman fills prescriptions during a busy afternoon at B & B Pharmacy in Shepherdsville. Customers are finding that COVID-19 test kits are hard to come by with some stores out of stock following a surge in purchases from people anxious to check for COVID-19 before holiday gatherings.
Pharmacist Ashley Buckman fills prescriptions during a busy afternoon at B & B Pharmacy in Shepherdsville. Customers are finding that COVID-19 test kits are hard to come by with some stores out of stock following a surge in purchases from people anxious to check for COVID-19 before holiday gatherings.

Also, the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and Treasury are set to issue guidance by Jan. 15 that would allow over-the-counter coronavirus diagnostic tests to be reimbursed by group health plans or health insurance providers, USA TODAY reported. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized eight over-the-counter tests that are on the market today.

Biden's administration announced earlier in December that it would work to expand access to at-home COVID-19 testing and would distribute 50 million test kits through community health centers. The 500 million free tests kits to be available in January are in addition to those.

More: Considering an at-home COVID test before a trip? What travelers need to know

Through a National Institutes of Health and Centers for Disease Control Prevention-backed program announced in October, Louisville distributed more than 400,000 at-home test kits, according to a health department spokeswoman.

As of Tuesday at noon, 13 locations around the city still had some kits for free pickup. Those sites are listed here: https://covidhometestlouisville.org/get-your-tests/.

A health department spokeswoman said people should call locations in advance to make sure kits are still on hand.

Louisville also has several sites set up for COVID-19 testing for those who can't get at-home tests.

The Louisville Free Public Library on 301 York St. is offering testing each Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m. The site is closed on Jan. 1.

For other testing site information, visit https://louisvilleky.gov/government/louisville-covid-19-resource-center/covid-19-testing.

The health department's line, 502-912-8598, has staff who can help people locate tests. The state's website also lets people search for tests near their ZIP codes.

You may: Tighter travel rules, free at-home tests and boosters: Biden unveils COVID-19 winter plan

Reach health reporter Sarah Ladd at sladd@courier-journal.com. Follow her on Twitter at @ladd_sarah. Reach Deborah Yetter at dyetter@courier-journal.com or on Twitter at @d_yetter.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Home COVID tests available in Louisville but demand outpacing supply