It has been just a few months since British Columbia began delivering rapid antigen test kits for the public through community pharmacies free of charge.
So far, nearly 8 million test kits have been sent to pharmacy distributors and numbers shared by government in April demonstrates that pharmacies have dispensed more than 4 million tests to the public.
For an instructional video on how to use a test kit, please visit here: https://youtu.be/5kAx0c6TwJQ
Initially, pharmacies were provided a $5 fee for every kit dispensed. Kits were initially offered only to those age 70 and up, and as more supply was made available, the age eligibility criteria was relaxed.
As of Apr. 11, 2022, pharmacies are paid $75 per case of kits distributed, and instead, pharmacies are no longer required to record patient details when distributing kits. Today, anyone can pick up a kit for themselves or for someone they know.
“B.C.'s community pharmacies are a convenient location for eligible patients to pick up their free rapid antigen tests,” said Jamie Wigston, President of the BC Pharmacy Association.
More than 1,300 pharmacies across B.C. are involved in this distribution.
To help the public locate a pharmacy near them to pick up a kit, the BC Pharmacy Association has created a pharmacy look-up tool, available at: bcpharmacy.ca/rapid-tests/list