At-home rapid COVID tests are sold out around Stanislaus County. How to find them
They’re quick, convenient and hard to find. The at-home rapid COVID tests sold over the counter at pharmacies have been largely sold out across the Modesto area due to the delta variant surge this summer.
Many local pharmacies haven’t been able to keep the self-administered test kits in stock, and others sell out quickly when limited supplies arrive. When in stock, buying limits have also been imposed at some stores, restricting that each customer can purchase two to three boxes.
But for the diligent, and those not adverse to driving a little farther, they still can be found in Stanislaus County.
Calls to more than a dozen pharmacies across the county found two stores with testing kits in stock this week. Others had been sold out for weeks, if not months.
John Snow, a pharmacy tech at River Oak Pharmacy in Oakdale, said they are sold out and keep getting requests for the kits from clients.
“We haven’t been able to get any; they’re in short supply. For at least a month now we’ve been trying to get some,” he said.
FDA grants emergency approval to at-home COVID tests
Starting in late 2020, the FDA began granting emergency use authorizations for at-home kits for SARS-CoV-2 antigen diagnostic tests. So far more than 30 different kits from various manufacturers have been approved for over-the-counter use and sale to detect COVID-19 infection.
Popular rapid test brands include the Abbott BinaxNOW, Quidel QuickVue and Ellume Covid-19 Home Test.
The at-home kits have the advantage of speed and privacy, though experts warn their results are not as accurate as the PCR tests. According to a report from UD Davis Health, the PCR tests (which swab your nasal cavity and are taken by health care professionals), are “close to 100% accurate in diagnosing a COVID-19 infection.” But the wait on those test results is typically 48 hours, if not longer.
The at-home rapid tests take just 10 to 15 minutes for most results, but according to UC Davis Health can garner more false negatives than the PCR tests. Most of the at-home kits come with two tests, which are intended to be used separately about 36 hours apart for more accurate results. The kits typically run from $24 to $30 each.
Delta variant, school openings fuel Stanislaus test demand
The rapid at-home tests have proven popular, as students have headed back into classrooms and workers returned to job sites — which means for weeks they’ve been scarce on store shelves. Due to demand, many pharmacies keep the tests near or behind the counter when they are in stock.
In Modesto, major national pharmacies CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid were sold out in many locations. The three stores along McHenry Avenue were all out of stock mid-week. Other stores reported missed shipments, and if shipments did arrive they were random and sometimes much smaller than expected.
Smaller independent pharmacies have also struggled to keep the tests in stock. Earlier in the summer Patterson Family Pharmacy had the Quidel QuickVue test kits in stock. But after selling out of their last 30 boxes in about an hour one day, they’ve been able to get more in stock for the last three to four weeks.
Pharmacist Ali Wright said they had expected another shipment this week, but their distributor informed them they are now back-ordered six to eight weeks. Wright said they are looking at other distributors and hope to have more in sooner than that, particularly considering they have customers coming in daily asking for the tests.
“It’s a newer thing on the market, and a lot of people who have been exposed but don’t have symptoms have been using them,” Wright said. “The rise in cases and people being exposed to positive cases has really driven demand.”
Like Patterson Family Pharmacy, Hughson’s locally owned Carranza Pharmacy hasn’t been able to find the tests through its regular wholesaler. A recent search found only three tests available for shipment, and even that was questionable, said pharmacist Manpreet Atwal. But when they’ve heard about rapid tests in stock elsewhere, they’ve followed up for their clients.
“People have been asking for it and we just don’t have enough supply for the demand,” he said. “Someone told me a Walgreens in Turlock had it and I found out they only had three kits.”
Supply of rapid home tests strained in valley, nationally
Some have tried to circumvent local shortages by going online. But the supply issues appear to be national, based on reports across the country of shortages. Some at-home tests that are available through web retailers either have long shipping times or high prices.
Earlier this week Amazon only had the Quidel QuickVue testing kits available in a bulk order of 45 for $1,122.75, with an expected delivery in about a week.
The supply chain issues have been further complicated by reports that Abbott, the makers of the popular BinaxNOW at-home rapid test, destroyed some of its supplies and laid off workers earlier in the summer when the pandemic appeared to be in its waning days. The New York Times reported about 8 million testing cards were disassembled and thrown out, and 2,000 workers laid off at an Illinois plant.
The company is now ramping back up production, and rehiring workers. But still, according to the Times, has told “thousands of newly interested companies that it cannot equip their testing programs in the near future.”
Finding the kits now, as the highly contagious delta variant surge continues in Stanislaus County, takes polite perseverance and persistence. Local pharmacists suggest calling around to area stores to see if the kits are in stock, and asking when shipments are expected. Many places receive deliveries weekly, though it’s been hit-and-miss on receiving the test kits.
Call Modesto area pharmacies, ask for test kit availability
This week The Bee found tests were in stock at the Walgreens on Dale Road in Modesto and the CVS on F Street in Oakdale. Both had recently received shipments, though employees said they’ve had difficulty keeping them in stock.
At the Newman Rite Aid, rapid tests were supposed to be delivered this week, but the shipment never came. Other places, like the Target pharmacy in Turlock, said they haven’t seen test kits for the past two months.
Independent pharmacies typically work with fewer distributors than the large chains, so have had fewer options for receiving tests. Some corporate pharmacies in outlying areas in the county might see less demand, and therefore have more stock available.
When they get tests back in stock, Wright said Patterson Family Pharmacy will share their availability on their social media accounts to help customers. Her pharmacy also administers rapid antigen tests by appointment.
As it has done throughout the pandemic, the Stanislaus County Health Services Agency offers free PCR testings at a numerous locations including in-office and drive-thru sites at the Salida Library, Ceres Unified School District office and Rube Boesch Center in Turlock.
The region’s corporate and independent pharmacies alike also offer the COVID-19 vaccines — Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson — which are free and readily available either through appointment or walk-in at most places.
“I think the shortage (in rapid tests) is going to be going on for at least a few more weeks so just continue to check,” Wright said.
This story was originally published September 17, 2021 at 8:09 AM.
