‘Rapid’ Covid tests OK but supply slim
THE Queensland government bowed to pressure to allow Covid-19 rapid antigen tests to be used by incoming visitors – but good luck getting your hands on one.
The cheap, self-use quicker tests have been in short supply or sold out entirely on the Gold Coast as interstate travellers and concerned residents rush to self-test in the face of Omicron’s spread statewide.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk took to social media on Wednesday morning to announce travellers entering Queensland from Covid hotspots could use a negative rapid antigen test (RAT) to satisfy border pass requirements from January 1 instead of the more time-consuming PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test requirement.
Police Minister Mark Ryan said the new rule meant travellers from hotspots of NSW, Victoria, the ACT and parts of the Northern Territory, no longer needed to queue up at clinics effective immediately.
Instead travellers must take a RAT no more than 72hours prior to coming into Queensland.
Chief health officer Dr John Gerrard said later that RAT was appropriate for travellers entering from NSW or Victoria which, like the Gold Coast, have had mass queues for people getting PCR tests.
The new system would be “honesty” based, but Dr Gerrard warned it was a criminal offence to make a false declaration.
The Bulletin phoned chemists and supermarkets across the city to check RAT availability on Wednesday and found the tests extremely
hard to come by, if not impossible.
Several staff members advised supermarkets across the Coast were out of stock.
Coles and Woolworths staff citywide – at Coolangatta, Mudgeeraba, Southport and Hope Island, for example – were quick to advise the supermarkets had run out.
Some workers seemed flustered by a barrage of calls on Wednesday morning regarding RAT availability.
Chemist Warehouse, Chempro and Priceline stores advised they had sold out or had no stock.
One chemist pointed the finger at the supermarkets, claiming they had bought up all available RAT stock – despite their lack of test kits.
Woolworths stated online that “due to high demand” its
supermarkets were “running low on stock for Covid-19 self-test kits”.
Customers were directed to the website of Woolworths “partner” Healthylife. Coles listed RATs as “temporarily unavailable” online.
A Coles spokesperson said: “We continue to see growing customer demand for the Hough Covid-19 home test and are regularly replenishing stocks for our stores.
“To help manage demand, we have had a two-pack purchase limit in place since we began stocking the tests in early November,” they said.
A Woolworths spokesperson said: “We’ve been sending tens of thousands of rapid antigen testing kits to our stores each day, but they’re selling very quickly with the recent surge in demand.”
“We have a much larger order of stock on the way from our suppliers and expect the availability of kits to improve for our customers within the next week,” they said. “We understand it’s frustrating when our customers can’t get the products they need and we’ll continue to do all we can to meet the growing demand.”
Woolworths has been selling RATs behind customer service desks in Queensland and customers are limited to purchasing a maximum of 10 kits.
It’s understood governments have also been snapping up a large number of RATs sourced internationally.
Queensland’s government on Tuesday scrapped the requirement for new arrivals to get a more accurate PCR test on day five of their visit.
Gold Coast PCR test clinic sites have been swamped but demand eased on Wednesday. Long lines were moving fairly quickly at some locations, including a Bond University Drive Thru Covid testing site on Ring Rd at Robina.
It’s estimated there was an hour wait for testing late on Wednesday morning, compared to between three and up to six earlier in the week.
Dr Gerrard said more than 35,000 tests were conducted in 24 hours to Wednesday, even though the five-day traveller testing was axed.
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said shifting away from traveller PCR testing was “a good move”. He said tests should be undertaken on close contacts of the infected and those feeling unwell, rather than tourists gearing up for a holiday.