This fall, rapid COVID tests may be harder to find in pharmacies. Here’s what you need to know:

Montreal pharmacist Aleck Brodeur just received a shipment of rapid COVID-19 tests. Since temperatures have dropped, more people want to buy them, he says.

“They sell out so quickly. We always have to order something every day and we keep increasing the amount we order, but they are all still on sale,” he said.

He expects that shipment – 13 kits in total – to be gone by the end of the day. In QuebecThere were 3,882 new laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 between September 15 and September 21.

Unlike last fall, there are no free rapid tests to distribute in Brodeur. The federal government stopped providing free rapid COVID tests to provinces and territories in May.

In a statement to CBC News, a spokesperson for Health Canada said it is no longer purchasing rapid tests in bulk. The agency also says there are no plans to replenish the federal stockpile once it is depleted.

This means that pharmacies bought the tests from suppliers and sold them like any other over-the-counter goods. Pharmacists say supplies are sometimes low.

“We hunt them down and make sure they are approved by Health Canada,” said Kyro Maseh, a Toronto-area pharmacist.

Artron Laboratories Inc., which makes COVID testing kits, said in an email that it has increased test production in recent months and expects to increase it even further for the upcoming winter season.

Where can you get COVID tests?

You may have to visit several pharmacies before you find one that offers rapid tests – free or for sale.

While some pharmacies in Quebec and Ontario no longer have free testing, the situation is different elsewhere. Alberta Public Health says it is still distributing free tests from the federal supply participating pharmacies until the supply runs out.

While Quebec pharmacies may no longer offer free rapid tests, the province does distribute Free rapid tests in certain clinics or service centers.

PCR testing is also available in some provinces for people at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19. It just takes a little longer to get the results: at least 24 hours.

Experts say most expired tests will continue to work for a few months after the expiration date, but they also warn that false negatives pose a risk: If your test comes back negative on an expired test but you’re still experiencing symptoms, Is it possible that this is the case? I still have COVID – even if the expired test didn’t detect it.

“If it’s positive, you’re definitely positive. If it is negative and has symptoms, you need to be concerned about using expired tests,” said Dr. Dawn Bowdish, professor of immunology at McMaster University and executive director of the Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health in Hamilton.

Should we even still test for COVID?

If you’re otherwise healthy and young, there’s a good chance that whether you’ve tested positive for COVID or have a cold, you’ll be given the same advice: Don’t go to work or school, stay home .

But for those more vulnerable to serious illness, an early positive test can change treatment options — and potentially health outcomes.

“Older adults and immunocompromised people who are at high risk for hospitalization should receive antiviral medications within one day or no more than two days of becoming ill,” Bowdish said.

“If they don’t know they have COVID, they can’t get the medications that could keep them out of the hospital.”

Current numbers Select public health and hospital laboratories across Canada suggest COVID-19 levels remain stable across the country, but Dr. Donald Vinh, an infectious disease specialist and medical microbiologist at McGill University Health Centre, believes the numbers do not reflect the true level of what is going on in the community.

“We know this is an underestimate of what is going on,” he said.

For him, there is no doubt that comprehensive testing is still worthwhile. He says COVID can have serious impacts on vulnerable populations — and there are treatment options, too.

“Instead of saying: Do we still need tests for SARS-CoV-2 after four years? At-risk populations for which we can provide therapy,” Vinh said.

In the US, the federal government has done this a program reopens This will allow each household to receive up to four free COVID test kits in the mail. U.S. health officials are urging the public to take a rapid test before visiting friends and family during the holiday season.

Bowdish, the immunologist, says she would like to see something similar in Canada.

“People change their behavior and decisions when they know they have an infection that could cause an older adult or vulnerable person to become seriously ill.”