Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
First Toilet Paper, Now Covid Tests: CVS Limits Sales Of At-Home Kits
Bloomberg: CVS Limits Purchases Of Covid Rapid Tests Due To High Demand
CVS Health Corp. is limiting customers’ purchases of rapid, over-the-counter Covid-19 tests, with a maximum of six packages available online and four in its pharmacies, as the spread of the delta variant spurs demand. Put in place this week, the limits apply to Abbott Laboratories’s BinaxNOW along with a test from the startup Ellume, according to an email from a CVS spokesperson. Both tests are available without a prescription. (Court, 8/26)
The Wall Street Journal: As Delta Variant Surges, So Does Demand For At-Home Covid-19 Tests
Demand for at-home Covid-19 tests has risen sharply in recent weeks as the Delta variant surges across the U.S., causing test makers to scramble to keep pace. Abbott Laboratories said it expects supplies of its at-home test to be limited in the next few weeks as it hires workers and reboots factory lines that were slowed or idled earlier this summer. Availability on Amazon.com of Abbott’s BinaxNOW test and a similar test made by Quidel Corp. QDEL 2.80% has been spotty, and an at-home test made by Ellume USA LLC was out of stock as of Wednesday. The tests, which detect fragments of viral proteins called antigens, can be found with patchy access on store shelves and websites. (Abbott, 8/26)
Knoxville News Sentinel: COVID-19 Testing Appointments Can Be Hard To Find Around Knoxville
As delta variant cases rise throughout Knox County and East Tennessee and school is back in session, those with symptoms are finding spotty access to COVID-19 test appointments .Both rapid results and laboratory COVID-19 tests can be hard to find, which is a scary feeling when parents are determining whether to keep their kid out of school. "There is a shortage of certain types/brands of rapid tests, and there is a shortage of available appointments to administer tests," EDP Biotech spokesperson Eric Mayer said in an email to Knox News. "Many providers are working quickly to source alternative brands of tests, or open more daily appointments, to address the current pandemic spike." (Willis, 8/26)
WYMT: COVID-19 Testing Sites Coming To Regional Hospitals To Help Overrun ERs
Starting Friday, COVID-19 testing sites will open at four hospitals across [Kentucky]: Baptist Health Corbin, Pikeville Medical Center, St. Claire Regional Medical Center and a site in Danville. Gov. Andy Beshear said he had talked with CEOs of hospitals and they were frustrated the emergency rooms were overrun with people wanting a COVID test. ... The governor hopes these testing sites will free up staff who usually handle the testing, so they an attend to patients.
The Hill: DC Expands At-Home Coronavirus Testing Program
Washington, D.C., expanded COVID-19 testing efforts on Thursday, offering 11 new sites where residents could pick up and drop off coronavirus testing kits. The development is a part of a larger initiative in D.C., called the Test Yourself DC program, which provides people the opportunity to either take a COVID-19 test kit home and drop off samples later that day, or take a COVID-19 test on site. (Vakil, 8/26)
Houston Chronicle: Don't Bring Asymptomatic Kids To The ER For A COVID Test, Texas Children's Doctors Beg Parents
Since school started earlier this month, Texas Children’s Hospital emergency centers and urgent care clinics have been filled with parents seeking COVID-19 tests for their children. But emergency rooms don’t have the capacity to test all of them, especially if they are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms, said Dr. Brent Kaziny, medical director of Emergency Management at Texas Children’s Hospital. In addition to handling COVID-positive patients, the pediatric hospital is in the middle of a busier-than-usual respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) season and is handling patients who come in for the “normal things,” like accidents, falls and other injuries that come with the start of school. (Garcia, 8/26)
