Firstly, I should say that I am very grateful that my kids and I have all tested negative for COVID each day since their dad tested positive last week. And having PCR results within 30 minutes is fast.
This take-home kit from Lucira goes to the heart of what is wrong with our health care system.
It costs $75 (at least), out of reach of many Americans, certainly for more than the occasional use. It includes a sturdy looking electronic device that is designed to be thrown away after a Single Use. The kit includes two AA batteries, and a vial that cannot be removed from the device once inserted, so as to ensure that you need another device in your next kit. This slows the production time of our testing supply, adds to our electronic waste, and cannot even be recycled. That’s saying nothing of the rest of the packaging that largely cannot be recycled and takes up a lot of unnecessary space, which also slows down the pace of shipping.
Presumably, all the wasted material is purposefully included in each kit in order to drive up the profit margin, and therefore the cost to consumers. And all limiting the supply of these tests getting out to the public. Even for those who can afford them.
Rapid tests aren’t that much better, minus the electronic device. The least wasteful test kit I’ve come across so far is iHealth, 10 of which arrived in a small pouch in the mail, 5 days after I ordered them, at $10/piece.
Where is the common sense, much less political will to streamline this, for the sake of our public health and environment?
