Families are going from pharmacy to pharmacy demanding multiple packs of free lateral flow tests as Boots cashed in on the shortages and began selling swabs for £5.99 each online today.
Due to the scramble for LFTs, the Government has now urged people not to hoard them in advance as they ran out online and via the NHS‘ 119 phone line.
Some Britons have been shamelessly stockpiling Covid test kits and even showing off their ‘towers’ on social media as the UK faced having to pay for them in six weeks time – saving the taxpayer £2billion a month.
The announcement that rapid lateral flow tests will no longer be free for the public from April 1 has seen many rush to grab tests which can currently be ordered online or collected from high street pharmacies.
Boots will start charging customers £5.99 for lateral flow tests today amid a scramble for free tests. This is despite the swabs costing just £1 to manufacture domestically – and pennies if made in China – leading to calls for ministers to put a price cap on lateral flow tests.
Dr Leyla Hannbeck, Chief Executive of the Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies, told MailOnline that there is a growing trend of hoarding – and fears members will be ‘abused’ if they have run out like in the run up to Christmas.
She said: ‘People want to get these tests free of charge before they have to pay. Some come as a family and the husband wants some, and then the wife wants some — a whole family trying to get these tests, keeping it for when they need it. This is stockpiling’.
She added: ‘We raised concerns around Christmas time about supply not meeting the demand following change in government guidelines. Once again pharmacies find themselves in a situation where we are not communicated with prior to an announcement and need to deal with the increased demand’.
Boots today started selling ‘general use’ lateral flow tests including single swabs for £5.99 even though they cost pennies to make
Stockpilers shared pictures of their towers of free NHS lateral flow tests that cost £2billion a month and are being phased out from April 1
People have been struggling to order packs online after the Government announced it would scrap free tests
The Government already started secretly rationing, limiting orders to one pack in 72 hours rather than every 24 hours.
And extraordinary pictures show the lengths that some Britons have gone to stockpile packs, proudly sharing pictures of mounds of tests that are costing the taxpayer £2billion per month.
One person, who has stockpiled more than 25 packs, tweeted: ‘When the Government wants to start charging for lateral flow tests. I’ve come fully prepared so I don’t run out of covid tests’.
Some have even suggested they could choose to sell them online from April – while people in Wales and Scotland, where tests are expected to remain free, are offering to stockpile them there and post them to friends in England.
One person tweeted: ‘If people order a load of free lateral flow tests now, then once it’s April 1st they can sell them cheaper than the government, at least the money won’t be going to them’. Another wrote: ‘Gonna start stocking up on lateral flow tests to take back to my family asap. very glad testing and isolation rules are staying the same in Wales at the moment’.
Boots will start charging customers £5.99 for lateral flow tests today.
There are already test cost limits in Spain, France and Portugal, with the Spanish Government setting a ceiling of just £2.45 per test. In France, people can pick up tests for as little as £1.
Yesterday Boots announced customers can pay for tests online for £5.99 each or £17 for a pack of four including delivery.
The tests will be rolled out to stores from early March, prices at £2.50 for a single test and £12 for a pack of five.
Asif Aziz, Director of Healthcare Services at Boots UK, said: ‘We are pleased to be expanding our Covid-19 testing services even further, with affordable lateral flow testing options for those who still want peace of mind from asymptomatic testing after 1st April.’ Ministers said the number of free tests available each day will be capped to ‘manage demand’ as the Government scales back free testing for people in England.
Yesterday the system for ordering tests was overwhelmed, with a message on the Government website stating: ‘Sorry, there are no home delivery slots left for rapid lateral flow tests right now.’
Before and after: The rules used to allow a test every 24 hours but it is now every 72 hours
Free testing is incredibly expensive and looks to be phased out for most people in the UK
On Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson set out his intention to end universal free testing in England, saying that the system had cost more than £2 billion in January alone.
He said that free testing for the general public would end on April 1, but tests would still be available to symptomatic elderly and vulnerable people.
Mr Johnson added: ‘We’re working with retailers to ensure that everyone who wants to can buy a test.’ The costs of tests can vary significantly – one Government supplier charges £5 for a single test but this can reduce in price with bulk buying.
Yesterday NHS bosses and health charities reiterated concerns have been raised that NHS staff and vulnerable patients may not be allowed to get free tests.
Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said on Monday: ‘Patients, staff and visitors deserve to feel confident that they can access and work in services without risking their own health or causing worry to those around them.
‘This is particularly true for people from clinically vulnerable groups who may already feel sidelined.
‘We urge the Government to reconsider its plan with dedicated funding for continued access to Covid tests for all NHS workers in patient-facing roles.’ Health Secretary Sajid Javid said: ‘If NHS staff need tests they will be provided with free tests – that will be a decision for the NHS.
‘Even before Covid, the NHS has always sensibly made a decision on tests and keeping their staff safe, because keeping staff safe means keeping their patients safe and it’s always about patient safety.’
And hours after it was revealed that free LFTs will be phased out in England, a rush of orders led to them running out online.
One person tweeted: ‘I’m unable to get any lateral flow tests delivered to my home. My local pharmacy doesn’t have any available for me to collect. I have no tests left. I work with the most vulnerable people in society. What do I do now if I have the mildest symptoms?’
