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Shut out of free take-home kits, some British Columbians buying their own rapid tests

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VANCOUVER -

While many Canadians can now get free take-home rapid antigen tests at pharmacies leading up to the holidays, it’s not an option in B.C.

That has some British Columbians looking online and south of the border to buy the same rapid tests being handed out to residents of Alberta and Quebec.

“We want them for a sense of security in getting together with my mom – who is in her 80s, who has COPD – and we want to know we are not bringing COVID to her and she’s not spreading it to us when we see her over Christmas,” said Vancouverite Kyenta Martins, who bought several boxes of rapid tests during a recent road trip to Washington State for US$29 each.

Langley resident Lizanne Foster bought a five-pack of rapid tests online for $50 plus shipping to test herself before visiting her daughter at Christmas. It’s the same brand being offered for free to all residents at pharmacies in Alberta and Quebec.

“You know we like to boast about our universal health care system. Well, here we are in the same country, and a province right next door to us and the other side of the country can get tests, free tests. And here in B.C., things are different,” said Foster.

“I think it’s ridiculous that our government is not taking care of its citizens,” said Martins, who believes if other provinces can do it, B.C. can too.

British Columbia doesn’t have the same rapid test kits that other provinces are giving away for free. It does have 700,000 take-home rapid tests from the federal government that arrived in packages of 25, with only one bottle of testing solution per box.

On Tuesday, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said it’s challenging and time-consuming to break those boxes down into smaller kits to give away.

“If she doesn’t have the manpower, I bet if she put a call out for volunteers, she would get thousands of people willing,” said Martins, who added she would be first in line to help.

That’s what Nova Scoria did when it got the same large packages of rapid tests from the federal government that needed to be turned into take-home kits of five.

“They had these kind of packaging parties I guess in libraries and schools and everywhere of people putting the kits together, and this was in September. It’s now December, surely we could have done that,” said Foster.

It didn’t happen in B.C., so anyone who wants rapid tests has to find them online or in Washington state, and pay for them.

“It’s frustrating, really frustrating,” said Martins. But she said buying the rapid tests was worth it.

“If I can have just a little more assurance with all the other protections we have that we are not bringing the virus to my mom, then I am happy with that,” she said. “That allows us to have a little bit better Christmas.”

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