The federal government’s Covid health emergency, scheduled to end May 11, has led to uncertainty over what will happen with the tests and vaccines that most have taken for granted.
“The big thing for me is what the unknown of what the post-emergency status is going to look like for people,” said Neal Smoller, owner of Village Apothecary in Woodstock and organizer of the Covid Busting Volunteer Army which has given more than 36,000 doses of the vaccine. “How much of the vaccine is going to cost providers, how much the vaccine is going to cost out-of-pocket for people, and then what the permanent rules are going to be for administering Covid vaccines are all up in the air right now.”
Smoller is also concerned with the possible lack of access to free Covid tests. He is hoping that prices will go down to about five dollars per test, which he says “is really awesome for a diagnostic tool.”
To determine whether a person has Covid may require more than one test, and there are people who won’t want to spend money for four or five tests to make sure that they are still testing negative
Smoller has spread the word about the end of free tests, encouraging everyone to stock up on as many tests as possible. In most cases, insurance plans cover eight at-home tests per month for each person on the policy. But that all ends May 11.
“We’re shipping tests to people just to try to increase the amount of uptake just to make sure that people are getting these things and stocking up. Ours don’t expire until February of next year, so they last for plenty of time,” Smoller said. “So if they were to snag them, even if they don’t have any direct need, or if they have a stockpile at home, I’d still think it would be wise to take advantage to avoid having to pay in the future.”
Though it’s a much weaker virus now, there is still concern about long Covid and the effects of having Covid multiple times on our bodies. “Those are mostly unanswered questions right now. And that’s why I discourage people from taking a kind of laissez-faire attitude with it,” he added.
Village Apothecary at 79 Tinker Street, Woodstock, has an online form to request tests. The tests now in stock are Flowflex Covid-19 antigen home tests. Check with your insurance carrier to make sure that brand is covered. Complete your order at villageapothecaryrx.com/home-tests. They are available for pickup or local delivery.
The second bivalent booster is available at villageapothecaryrx.com/covid/vax.
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