Why Is It So Hard to Get a Rapid Covid Test in the U.S.?
The U.S. dragged its feet on lateral flow tests and is now struggling with supply problems when they’re needed most.
Make it quick.
Photographer: JACK GUEZ/AFPWhen the travel ban was finally lifted this month, Brits visiting the U.S. got a shock. Not only were rapid Covid tests hard to find; prices were at rip-off levels. A survey conducted by the Independent newspaper found an antigen test at Orlando International Airport cost $65; it was $75 in San Francisco and $100 in a Washington, D.C. travel clinic.
By contrast, antigen home test kits are provided free of charge from Britain’s National Health Service and come in a box of seven tests that can be picked up at local pharmacies (airport tests are around 35 pounds or $46.88). The tests are useful in areas where the virus is surging. Some schools make antigen tests mandatory before a parent-teacher meeting; they can be required for a hospital visit or for entering a nursing home.