Rapid test kits available at B.C. pharmacies for people aged 40 and up

Rapid antigen tests kits are now available for British Columbians aged 40 and up to pick up at community pharmacies.

The free kits contain five tests each and are meant to detect COVID-19 if the user becomes sick, rather than check whether an asymptomatic user has the virus.

Residents may pick up a kit every 28 days using their personal health number, or the personal health number and date of birth of another individual, if they’re picking a kit up for someone else.

The expansion of the province’s testing capacity was announced Tuesday, as the province reported no new deaths from COVID-19 and the continued decline of hospitalizations from the virus.

As of March 10, the B.C. Ministry of Health said four million rapid tests had been shipped to community pharmacies throughout the province.

It’s expecting another shipment of four million tests from the federal government in the next three weeks.

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There are currently 345 patients in B.C. hospitals with COVID-19, 50 of whom are in intensive care.

The number of active COVID-19 cases confirmed by tests in the province stands at 2,946, with 237 new cases recorded in the past 24 hours.

Nearly 91 per cent of eligible British Columbians aged 12 and over have been fully-vaccinated, and close to 57 per cent have received a third dose or booster shot.