CORONAVIRUS/Free COVID rapid test kits available at 4,500 pharmacies nationwide

Taipei, May 6 (CNA) COVID-19 rapid home test kits are to be made available for free at national health insurance (NHI)-contracted pharmacies across Taiwan, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

People in need can get the free rapid test kits at around 4,500 NHI-contracted pharmacies nationwide, effective immediately or by Wednesday at the latest, the CDC said in a statement on Monday, with one 3-kit or 5-kit pack per person in principle.

The free home rapid test kit program has been launched in cooperation with the Federation of Taiwan Pharmacists Associations (FTPA), under which 10 million kits, which expire before the end of the year, are available for members of the public, according to the statement.

For more information on NHI-contracted pharmacies log on to https://gov.tw/q3W, it said.

Although COVID-19 infections have fallen from its peak period, there have still been 20-30 deaths and around 200 cases with complications per week in Taiwan in recent months, CDC spokesperson Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) told CNA.

Citing comments by the World Health Organization that COVID-19 is now an established and ongoing health issue, Tseng urged the public to pay attention to related complications.

In a statement, the FTPA also reminded the public of the risk of fatality related to COVID-19 and noted that members of the public, including foreign nationals, can pick up rapid test kits free of charge at community pharmacies without the need to provide personal ID documents.