By: Samantha Callejas 
With the holiday season behind us, it is time to reflect on how a time meant for celebration turned into panic for so many Americans. The holiday season is usually a time for people to spend it with their loved ones, but many Americans found themselves’ struggling to find a COVID test to safely travel.
On December 21, the Biden administration announced that it would buy 500 million test kits and distribute them to American homes for free, in response to the shortage that occurred.[1] While many are counting on these tests to help ease the stress over finding a test, it is important to analyze what exactly went so wrong in December and the harmful effects the lack of testing caused.
Right as the holiday season approached, at-home antigen tests depleted across the country. This led to clinics being overwhelmed with testing demands resulting in record wait-times for those resorting to in-person testing.[2] The shortage of testing kits became so severe that some states even began restricting access to rapid antigen tests.[3] Not only were states restricting access to at home-tests, pharmaceutical chains like CVS and Walgreens also began limiting the number of at-home tests customers could buy.[4] The problem with restricting tests is that those individuals who were hoping to take preventative precautions with their travel likely had to make a decision: forego getting tested altogether and risk infecting others or miss the holiday season with their loved ones. The availability of at-home testing is critical for many as it is the fastest testing option and earlier detection leads to earlier treatment.[5] With a disease like COVID, where people can be asymptomatic, testing is a vital way to lower transmission rates. Yet during what is arguably the busiest time of the year, finding a test became the equivalent of finding where’s waldo.
Two Years into the Pandemic, How is Testing still an Issue?
A big issue that was revealed during this time of crisis was the lack of funding that went towards at-home rapid tests, the far more convenient option for many. The government paid for the more-expensive PCR tests put did not put the same amount of effort towards ensuring the availability of at-home rapid tests.[6]
Some consequences of this lack of preparation, besides people not knowing they are sick, was that it resulted in tests kits being resold for triple the retail price in some areas and mile-long lines in others.[7]
A big reason for the shortage was the combination of people hoping the effects of the vaccine would kick in soon, and an overall lack of production.[8] Additionally the companies creating the rapid tests faced a slow regulatory approval process contributing to the shortage in the U.S.[9]
On top of logistical delays, the resurges of COVID cases due to the Omicron variant overwhelmed facilities across the country.[10]
Solutions?
While many hope that the kits from the White House relieve some of the burden, it is important to look at what other tools we have for fighting the spread of COVID.
The lack of test kits became very apparent during the holiday season, leading to many companies racing to fulfill the demand.[11] Abbott Laboratories expects to make 70 million rapid antigen tests in January alone.[12]
Along with this new wave of production that will help relieve the shortage, health insurance companies have now started covering the cost of at-home test.[13] This is a huge step in the right direction as it will help relieve the financial burden on many Americans. Health insurance providers have started to cover the cost of eight at-home COVID tests per month.[14]
Additionally, the US Food and Drug Administration recently authorized Pfizer’s antiviral pill, Paxlovid to treat the disease.[15] Paxlovid is the first antiviral COVID pill authorized for sick people to take at home.[16] This new pill could be a big step towards fighting COVID, but that won’t absolve the need for tests. During a time where people are returning to their in-person jobs and students are going back to school, accessible testing is necessary to ensure a safe environment for all. The resurgence in production of at-home test kits is an important step in the right direction, but it is vital that this move is focused on the long-term so that Americans won’t have to face such a shortage again.
[1] Macaela Machenzie, Why It’s so Hard to Get a COVID Test Right Now – and How to Get One Shipped to you for Free, SELF (Jan. 7, 2022), https://www.self.com/story/covid-test-shortage.
[2] Id.
[3] See Id; See Safia Samee Ali, Indiana Limits eligibility for Rapid Antigen Covid-19 Tests because of Shortage, NBC (Jan. 4 2022) https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/indiana-limits-eligibility-rapid-antigen-covid-19-tests-because-shortage-n1286961 (Indiana stated it would restrict rapid antigen tests to young people and those at-risk).
[4] Aya Elamroussi, Finding a COVID-19 Test is a Struggle right now in the US as Omicron and Holiday plans Collide, CNN HEALTH (Dec. 23, 2021), https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/22/health/us-coronavirus-wednesday/index.html.
[5] Yuki Noguchi, Why Rapid COVID Tests are in Short Supply in the U.S., NPR (Dec. 27, 2021), https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/12/10/1062700278/how-the-u-s-got-on-the-slow-track-with-at-home-covid-tests.
[6] Id.
[7]Jaimie Ding, Why are Rapid Tests for COVID-19 in Such Short Supply, LA TIMES (Jan. 8, 2022), https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2022-01-08/why-are-rapid-tests-for-covid-19-in-such-short-supply.
[8] Macaela Machenzie, Why It’s so Hard to Get a COVID Test Right Now – and How to Get One Shipped to you for Free, SELF (Jan. 7, 2022), https://www.self.com/story/covid-test-shortage; See Jaimie Ding, Why are Rapid Tests for COVID-19 in Such Short Supply, LA TIMES (Jan. 8, 2022), https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2022-01-08/why-are-rapid-tests-for-covid-19-in-such-short-supply. (“Bob Kocher, who co-led California’s COVID-19 testing task force, said the rapid test shortage ultimately came down to a failure to anticipate demand. Stating “if you go back a few months, before we had Omicron, and even Delta, there was a sense that OK, we have low numbers of cases in America, we’re vaccinating people, and COVID might go away””)
[9] Macaela Machenzie, Why It’s so Hard to Get a COVID Test Right Now – and How to Get One Shipped to you for Free, SELF (Jan. 7, 2022), https://www.self.com/story/covid-test-shortage.
[10] Aya Elamroussi, Finding a COVID-19 Test is a Struggle right now in the US as Omicron and Holiday plans Collide, CNN HEALTH (Dec. 23, 2021), https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/22/health/us-coronavirus-wednesday/index.html.
[11] Jaimie Ding, Why are Rapid Tests for COVID-19 in Such Short Supply, LA TIMES (Jan. 8, 2022), https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2022-01-08/why-are-rapid-tests-for-covid-19-in-such-short-supply.
[12] Id.
[13] Katie Teague, Dan Avery, At-home COVID Tests are Free now, but how can you get Them?, CNET (Jan. 25, 2022), https://www.cnet.com/health/at-home-covid-tests-are-free-now-but-how-can-you-get-them/.
[14] Id.
[15] Aya Elamroussi, Finding a COVID-19 Test is a Struggle right now in the US as Omicron and Holiday plans Collide, CNN HEALTH (Dec. 23, 2021), https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/22/health/us-coronavirus-wednesday/index.html.
[16] Id.
[17] Ted S. Warren, Photograph of Binax Antigen Test, in Associated Press