Covid: Lateral flow test 'shortage' in rural areas

Only people with Covid symptoms can now get free lateral flow tests in Wales

Concerns have been raised over a shortage of lateral flow tests in Wales, especially in rural areas.

Some pharmacists fear many people will test themselves less often due to having to pay for LFTs.

In Wales, only people suffering from Covid symptoms can order free tests online, until the end of June.

The Welsh government has said the changes are part of the process of moving towards living safely with Covid.

In a Newyddion survey of 10 pharmacies across Wales, eight reported they had little - if any - LFTs in stock for the public.

The only two pharmacies reporting a healthy supply were in Cardiff and Newport.

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"If you think about somewhere like west Wales, there aren't that many pharmacies in a 10-mile radius," said Richard Evans from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society in Wales.

"That is already quite a way for people to travel.

"But if you go the big towns, Swansea or Cardiff, there may be two, three or four pharmacies, so there's more of a chance of getting them."

Gwynedd pharmacist Lowri Pugh said it was a "mistake" to stop free access to tests

Lowri Pugh is a pharmacist in Abersoch, Gwynedd, and said finding LFTs was already proving to be a problem for some.

"People seem quite frustrated, they don't understand why they can't have them for free," she said.

"Especially the older people, who may not be able to go on the internet and online quite so easily, they will be more worried."

She believes it was a mistake to make it more difficult for people to get hold of Covid tests at a time when case numbers are on the rise.

"£3 is a lot for one test when someone is used to getting them for free," she said.

"So that will have an effect on how many people do the tests, and it will just be more difficult to get hold of them."

Health Minister Eluned Morgan has previously said she was reluctant to wind down the Covid-19 testing regime but admitted it was difficult to fund mass-testing levels with the UK government ending free testing in England from 1 April.

Anyone with Covid symptoms can order an LFT from the gov.uk website or phone 119, and that people who wish to purchase tests should follow instructions on the UK government website, the Welsh government advised.

But Prof Rhys Jones of Aberystwyth University believes the changes will inevitably lead to fewer people testing themselves regularly.

"What has been important throughout this pandemic has been this emphasis, increasingly perhaps, on personal responsibility," he said.

"[The changes] make it more difficult, I would say, for people to be responsible - they can't be responsible because they can't test to see exactly what is wrong with them - whether it's a cold, flu or coronavirus."