Te Whanganui-a-Tara – Kiwis who are symptomatic or a household contact, can now order covid rapid antigen tests (RATs) through a newly launched RAT requester site.
It’s one of a range of ways of making testing more readily available for those who need it. New Zealand, reportedly, has a good supply of RATs to meet demand during phase three of the Omicron response.
On top of the 15 million that arrived last week, 7.7 million more RATs have arrived in the country.
The new RATs are flowing through the supply chain and into collection sites where they can be accessed by anyone assessed as needing one.
There are 146 collection sites, 106 testing centres, and 21 providers supporting priority population groups nationwide. Along with participating pharmacies and GPs, there are now more than 500 access points for RATs, with additional sites continuing to be opened.
The ability to place an order online ensures the process is smoother when people go to collect them. It also means families / whānau don’t need to queue up at the testing centre when one person in the household gets sick.
People can still access free RATs without an order via community testing centres, but only for an eligible individual.
RATs are also available for purchase in some retail stores now for people who are not unwell or household contacts but want a RAT for other reasons.
The RATS website contains features to prevent people from ordering too many RATs to ensure that everyone who needs one can get one. These include order limits by address and phone number.
GPs will be using RATs as part of clinical consultations, where appropriate. They will not generally be distributing to the public outside this regime.
By the end of the month, they will be more places where RATs are available to 1000 sites around the country, so the majority of New Zealanders can access a free RAT within 20 minutes driving distance.
Increased use of RATs will ease some of the pressure on laboratories over the next three to six weeks, to help the economy keep moving.
So far, more than nine million RATs have been distributed. This includes more than three million RATs to DHBs and community collection sites; 1.3 million to primary health organisations; more than one million for aged care; more than 800,000 to GPs and urgent care; more than 600,000 to pharmacies; and more than 650,000 RATs to first responders and other government agencies.
