Frustration mounts as demand for Alberta's rapid test kits outstrips supply

Albertans frustrated by the search for rapid test kits will have to wait until later this month for new supplies to arrive in pharmacies.

Additional supply should be available to ship to pharmacies the week of Jan. 17, an Alberta Health spokesperson told CBC News.

Before then, additional supplies may be limited due to the anticipated delivery dates from manufacturers and Health Canada, Christa Jubinville said in a statement Wednesday.

An interactive booking map provided by the Alberta government was last updated on Dec. 31.

It shows that no tests are available at any of the pharmacy sites selected to supply them in Edmonton, Red Deer and Calgary. Select Alberta Health Services clinics were also offering the test kits.

"Daily shipments continue to AHS locations, based on an as-needed basis, and shipments to pharmacies continue as supplies are available," Jubinville said.

Ghada Haggag, who owns All Care Pharmacy in Edmonton, said her phone has been ringing off the hook as people try to track down any remaining kits.

She said her store has been out of stock for days.

"It's so frustrating," Haggag said. "Everybody keeps phoning; they have the whole list from A to Z of all the pharmacies everywhere in Edmonton.

"They are phoning everywhere and we are all out. All the pharmacies are out." 

As of Thursday morning, Haggag said pre-orders for fresh deliveries are now being accepted, something she described as "good news" for Albertans still on the hunt for the coveted swabs.

The rapid tests, nasal swabs that can provide results in minutes, are the only kind of COVID-19 testing currently being offered to most Albertans.

Last month, in the face of rapidly rising Omicron cases, the province tightened eligibility for PCR tests, reserving the lab-based screening for people who are at high risk of severe outcomes or work in high-risk settings.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw, the province's chief medical officer of health, said the changes aren't meant to block access to testing but to ensure provincial labs aren't overwhelmed.