As U.S. accelerates distribution of rapid tests, critics call on Ottawa to catch up

As Canadians grapple with the highly transmissible Omicron variant and a molecular testing regime that has all but collapsed, rapid antigen tests have become a much-needed lifeline — for those lucky enough to get their hands on one.

Canada is suffering a supply crunch, with nightmarishly long lines reported at the few sites where some provinces and territories have distributed tests to the general public.

So far, most of the provinces' tests have been earmarked for schools, businesses and long-term care homes, leaving people without a connection to these places in the lurch.

The few rapid tests offered for sale at pharmacies were quickly snapped up by people eager to learn their COVID status or to gather more safely with friends and family over the holidays. CBC News surveyed six pharmacies in the Ottawa and Toronto areas on Friday — at-home tests weren't available at any of these locations.

Many Canadians are now looking with envy at the relative abundance of rapid tests being distributed widely in the U.S. Experts here say the federal government should follow the example of the U.S. and other countries like Germany, Singapore and the United Kingdom by sending tests directly to people's homes to ensure more equitable access.

While U.S. President Joe Biden has conceded his administration should have ordered many more tests than it did initially — "If I had known, we would have gone harder, quicker," he recently said when pressed on testing gaps — the U.S. government pivoted quickly after the Omicron wave hit.

Washington launched a website this week that allows any American household to order up to four free tests by mail. Half a billion tests will be delivered by the U.S. Postal Service to doorsteps in the next seven to 12 days.

In addition to the half-billion tests being sent by mail, American retailers will have more than 375 million at-home rapid tests available for sale this month, according to data supplied by the White House. The Biden administration has demanded that health insurers cover the cost of these tests.

The tests can be purchased in the U.S. at pharmacies and big box stores like Walmart — where customers can buy two rapid antigen tests for just $17.98 US.

That means as many as 875 million at-home tests are being made available to American households this month alone. That's roughly three tests for every single person living in the U.S.

Millions more at-home COVID-19 tests have been delivered to thousands of community health centres and rural health clinics across the U.S. for distribution to patients. In addition to the at-home tests, there are now over 12,000 free testing sites across the U.S. ready to welcome patients for molecular PCR and rapid antigen testing.

In Canada, pandemic profiteers are offering tests for $80 or more on websites like Craigslist. Other online retailers, like Canadian Shield PPE, have pushed off promised deliveries until next month.

Ontario, the country's largest province, briefly opened rapid testing pop-up clinics over the holiday period before winding them down as supplies dwindled. Only one province — Nova Scotia — has been widely distributing rapid tests for months.

Dr. Dalia Hasan is a Kitchener, Ont.-based doctor who started COVID Test Finders, a grassroots social media-led initiative to connect Canadians with the limited supply of rapid tests.