Will lateral flow tests end up on the black market?

Brits are scrambling to get lateral flow tests after Boris Johnson announced they will no longer be free from 1 April.

The Covid-19 tests were temporarily unavailable for delivery on the government website yesterday, as the UK Health Security Agency capped the number of kits being handed out.

A box of seven tests can now be ordered only every three days, instead of every 24 hours, to prevent stockpiling and “to stop a black market developing in lateral flow kits”, said The Independent. But pictures on social media this week showed people with “towers of NHS test packs”, and pharmacies “reported stockpiling attempts across the country”, said The Times.

The black market

While many people will be gathering Covid-19 tests for their own use, others have been known to sell kits for a premium during the pandemic. 

An investigation by BBC Radio 5 Live last March found dozens of adverts for tests on social media sites and eBay. One seller, claiming to be an “NHS approved supplier”, was charging £10 plus postage for individual tests, reported the Daily Mail. At the time, free rapid testing had not been rolled out across the country and was available only for certain groups.

The Department of Health told 5 Live that selling the kits for personal gain was “illegal and reprehensible”, warning buyers there was no guarantee the tests were genuine, while eBay said it had “removed multiple listings and taken action on sellers’ accounts”.

As Omicron cases surged in December and pharmacies ran out of tests, the Manchester Evening News discovered free kits being sold online again. An image of one “unused and sealed” box was offered on social media for £100 before it was removed, said the newspaper. An eBay spokesperson insisted that Covid-19 tests were “banned for sale” on the website.

The demand for tests

Although the legal requirement to self-isolate will end tomorrow, the government is still advising people who test positive to stay at home. After 1 April, however, Johnson has said only that the government “will encourage people with Covid-19 symptoms to exercise personal responsibility, just as we encourage people who may have flu to be considerate to others”.

Article source: https://www.theweek.co.uk/news/science-health/955858/will-lateral-flow-tests-end-up-on-the-black-market