After weeks of shortages across the country, Americans are gradually finding it easier to get their hands on at-home rapid antigen tests. That’s in large part because the Biden Administration’s massive buying spree is giving test companies the confidence to manufacture and distribute a product that, like the course of the pandemic itself, has an uncertain future.
Executives at several major test companies say that, while their production lines are ramping up, they are prioritizing orders from the federal government in order to deliver on those lucrative contracts. Because of that strategy, some other buyers—including retailers and state governments—are still finding it challenging to get enough tests to meet current demand. But supply constraints are expected to ease up as the manufacturers leverage their big payday to boost production.
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“Some of the manufacturers were really apprehensive about expanding their production because they didn’t know that there was going to be demand for these tests,” says Lindsey Dawson, a KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation) researcher who has tracked U.S. rapid testing supplies. “These manufacturers are being reassured of a purchaser—the federal government.”
Indeed, companies have to invest in employees and facilities to meet high demand. But if the demand is temporary, that investment can backfire. Consider what happened in spring 2021: At the time, health authorities were de-emphasizing home testing as a public health strategy, focusing instead on vaccinations, which had proven incredibly effective at keeping people from falling ill. Demand for tests plummeted and Abbott Laboratories, which makes the popular BinaxNOW Self Test, couldn’t even unload its inventory—and so had to simply throw out test components that were nearing their expiration dates.
Demand now is incredibly high, to the point where manufacturers cannot keep up. Federal contracts are spurring them to meet the moment. iHealth, which…
Source : time
