US retailers limit new COVID-19 test purchases as demand surges

Amazon, CVS, Walgreens limit new COVID-19 test purchases as demand surges
Amazon, CVS, Walgreens limit new COVID-19 test purchases as demand surges
Avatar of Harry Johnson
Written by Harry Johnson

Shortages of COVID-19 test kits across the US led to President Joe Biden announcing recently that the federal government would be investing in making 500 million testing kits available to the public. 

US e-commerce giant Amazon revealed on Wednesday that the company and its vendors are experiencing acute inventory shortages of COVID-19 test kits as demand surges amid a rise in a number of new cases since the discovery of the Omicron variant, and more people traveling over the holiday season.

Amazon announced today, that COVID-19 test kit purchases will now be limited to 10 per shopper.

Testing kits sold through vendors have also been capped, though these decisions are made by the third-party sellers, Amazon said. 

A spike in home testing for COVID-19 infections amid Omicron fears has also led to major US pharmacy-store chains Walgreens and CVS putting purchase caps on test kits.

Walgreens announced this week that customers are limited to four test kits each, while CVS has capped purchases at six per customer. 

Shortages of COVID-19 test kits across the US also led to President Joe Biden announcing recently that the federal government would be investing in making 500 million testing kits available to the public. 

US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky urged calm in a Wednesday interview when addressing the latest coronavirus variant, which she says has a “rapid” rate of transmission. 

“We have vaccines. We have boosters, and we have all the science that demonstrates the prevention interventions like masking in indoor settings work to mitigate the spread of this virus,” Walensky said, adding there “is really no need to panic.”

Omicron strain of COVID-19 virus was first identified by scientists in South Africa last month and has since been confirmed in multiple countries, including the US, where it has become the dominant coronavirus variant. 

About the author

Avatar of Harry Johnson

Harry Johnson

Harry Johnson has been the assignment editor for eTurboNews for mroe than 20 years. He lives in Honolulu, Hawaii, and is originally from Europe. He enjoys writing and covering the news.

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