I am almost speechless… not only do they expect pharmacies to foot the bill for the “free” RATs, they are making sure government people get them free. There are also reports in Reddit of people’s orders being cancelled due to government requisition.
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No RATs, no Panadol.
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The no Panadol scenario is no surprise given recent leadership calls to stock up on supplies ahead of the likely need to isolate at home when we all get a Covid.
While Paracetamol is an every day item, the situation with the availability of RAT kits is a different circumstance.
One is left wondering if the tardiness of Australia to move towards approving and using RAT kits has been due only to poor judgement. The financial benefit to the pathology service providers of a PCR only test solution for most of Australia’s Covid outbreak must have been substantial. The ABC article suggests Australia has been more than 12 months behind the rest of the world in leveraging the low cost and advantages of using RAT kits.
Need a RAT test kit?
One more useful outcome.
One outcome possibly not forecast by the experts and modelling around the impact of Covid on opening up. The significant proportion of Australia’s working and household hero’s unable to go to work or anything else. Home RAT kits are one way to better manage who needs to stay home and who does not. For those in households with large families the impact is ongoing home quarantine of all family members. It must hurt.
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Is there is no bottom to what this government will try? Cheap and plentiful tests that do precisely what? Could be accurate or could be strips that react to sugar, or whatever.
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What will Australia’s local manufacturer’s have to say?
Looking after business!
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Some Australian experts have now started expressing similar concerns:
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It has also been suggested to get the most reliable results from using a RAT the user needs to test a second time after 1 or 2 days, if the first result was negative.
Compared to a PCR test a RAT is more likely to return a false negative. IE a positive RAT result is considered reliable, while there is a chance a negative RAT result may be incorrect. The strategy of testing twice over several days significantly reduces the chance a positive case will be missed.
Each state has specific advice on what to do in response to a positive RAT result.
EG NSW
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Avoid Woolworths - do not buy RATs there - in Brisbane city - $15 for a single test. As large buyers in the market that mark up is outrageous
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I have moved your post to an existing topic about this.
It is interesting to hear industry representatives talking (on ABC TV) about the costs relating to RATs. According to a Chemist, a selling price of $15 may be barely covering their actual costs.
One would think that a group as large as WW would have buying power to bring those costs down.
Thanks for the heads up.
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They might, but companies often price to the competition, not price against cost+markup.
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Their major competitor Coles had 5 pack for $50.
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Was it the same branded test? Some are more expensive than others and some more accurate (consult the TGA web site).
Another point of comparison is 5-packs have long been posted to be less per test than single or double packs.
Without such comparisons of like-for-like (or close enough) it may or may not be gouging.
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There seems to be two RATs threads… should they be combined? I just posted about tests I just ordered from Healthylife.com.au in the other thread
More than one RAT? 
Seems like a good idea. The larger of the two also started with discussion of availability, cost and approvals, and morphed into covering other aspects. Assume we’d merge the shorter into the longer and more general. Needs a volunteer?
Aged care facilities entry requirements vary. Many have pushed the requirement for Covid testing (RATs) and the cost before entry onto the visitor. The Federal Govt committed and assured supplies of RATs to Aged Care at no cost.
Our observation first hand is that family members who visit nearly everyday are taking some of the work load of personal care and pressure off the facility staff. Critically they are also providing social interaction where time is quality, and that the facility staff simply cannot afford. Especially where many of the facilities are short staffed and necessarily restricting regular social activities between residents.
There is a contradiction between the commitment and the outcomes. In respect of our Aged Care Provider, staff are being tested every 3rd day. Visitor testing is currently not required. In place PPE including N95 masks and face shields.
