The Omicron Variant Infection Cases Soar, Demand For COVID-19 Self-Test Kits In Europe Soars

Illustration of a COVID-19 test kit. (Wikimedia Commons/dronepicr)

JAKARTA - The demand for COVID-19 self-test kits in Europe has experienced a spike, along with the skyrocketing cases of COVID-19 infection due to the Omicron variant which is spreading rapidly in the Blue Continent.

The first COVID-19 self-test kits have arrived on supermarket shelves in France, as the country recorded a record 208.000 new cases on Wednesday, more than double the number recorded on Christmas Day.

In a bid to cope with the surge in the highly contagious variant of Omicron, French supermarkets are now offering rapid coronavirus antigen tests, which provide one more tool to combat COVID-19. About a hundred sets were sold within a few hours.

"It's less time-consuming than queuing for a PCR test. I don't know if it's reliable or not, but maybe at least it gives us an idea," said David, a French customer quoted by Euronews on December 31.

Meanwhile, a French manufacturer of rapid diagnostic test kits, Biosynex, has hired 200 temporary staff to meet soaring demand for self-testing, driven by a record number of cases and year-end holidays.

“Demand is much higher today than it was at the start of the year,” explains Gaël Levy, industry director at Biosynex.

Across the Channel, a shortage of lateral flow tests in UK pharmacies is causing widespread anxiety, with frustrated locals flocking to get PCR tests, to ensure they are virus-free for New Year's celebrations, as well as for work.

"We went to pick up some and there were no pharmacies around my street, nothing, they had all signed up saying they were out of stock so," said one Basildon resident.

Separately, in Italy, the high demand for self-test combined with supply chain problems have resulted in bottlenecks as Italians have to wait hours to get tested.

Even in the Capital region of Rome, some have had to wait up to eight hours, according to Euronews correspondent Giorgia Orlandi.

"In Milan, some of the centers where these tests were carried out have reached their maximum order limit and therefore many people will not be able to be tested. In some places, even the army has been used to facilitate operations related to rapid tests."