The federal government is sitting on a stockpile of 39 million extra rapid tests for COVID-19 and is struggling to get rid of them without chucking them in the trash, an internal Health Canada memo shows.
As the Omicron variant of the virus began to tear across Canada at the end of 2021, the government rapidly bought up rapid antigen tests, distributing most of them to the provinces so people could swab themselves for the virus at home.
That wave never came, and as public health restrictions were gradually lifted, the government found itself with a stockpile of some 93 million tests as of March 21. Staff suggested several means of off-loading the tests, but each comes with its own challenges. The largest obstacle is their short shelf life — they usually only last one or two years.
Another 38,722 are expected to perish in August and September, the memo shows. Most tests will expire in 2024.
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