The odyssey to get tested for covid-19 in the US 0:50
(CNN Business) -
Covid-19 rapid test kits for home use were already in short supply in stores.
Now a popular version is getting more and more expensive in America.
Walmart and Kroger are raising the prices of the BinaxNOW test kits, made by Abbott Laboratories, after an agreement with the White House to sell the kits at cost expired.
The White House said in September that customers could buy BinaxNow kits, which cost about $ 23 in two-pack, at Walmart, Kroger and Amazon at a discount of up to 35%, a savings of about $ 8, during three months.
That deal expired in December. This Tuesday, a pack of two BinaxNow was $ 19.88 on Walmart's website and $ 23.99 on Kroger's. The kits were not available on the Amazon website. (The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment on pricing.)
Do home tests detect the omicron variant? 1:09
The more expensive tests can make it harder for some people to afford them.
Epidemiologists and other health experts say the tests must be cheap (as they are in much of Europe) to encourage people to use them regularly.
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Rising test kit prices are the latest challenge for Americans struggling to get tested.
Demand for covid-19 tests skyrocketed as the omicron variant spread across the United States in recent weeks.
In many stores, stocks were depleted, and retailers and pharmacies began to limit the number of tests that each customer could purchase.
ANALYSIS |
Biden Faces A Failure In COVID-19 Testing Campaign That Could Have Been Avoided
On December 21, the Joe Biden administration, which has faced public scrutiny over the shortage of tests the president vowed to fix, announced a new plan to make an additional 500 million home tests available this month.
Covid-19 tests against coivd-19