Shortage of Self-Test Kits Amid Surge in Confirmed Cases... Accuracy Concerns Remain

Hard to Find Both Pharmacies and Online Malls
MFDS Expands Supply and Monitors Prices

Citizens visiting the COVID-19 screening clinic at the Jongno-gu Public Health Center in Seoul are conducting rapid antigen tests using self-test kits. If the test result is positive, they immediately move to the adjacent PCR testing site for a PCR test. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporters Lee Gwan-ju and Ki Ha-young] As the Omicron variant spreads, demand for self-test kits has increased, leading to a continued shortage. It is difficult to find stock not only at local pharmacies but also online, and as prices show signs of rising, the government has announced plans to directly increase supply and is taking action against profiteering.

Shortage continues before and after Lunar New Year holiday... "We don't know when new stock will arrive"

The shortage of self-test kits began just before the Lunar New Year holiday. This followed the government's announcement to shift the quarantine response system to focus on rapid antigen testing due to the spread of Omicron. Even neighborhood pharmacies that had stock before the holiday began to run out around that time. This was due to increased demand from companies and schools. Office worker Mr. Lee (33) said, "My company required a negative self-test kit result before returning to work after the holiday, so I bought a two-pack kit for 16,000 won at a pharmacy in advance." He added, "Before the holiday, it was easy to find kits at local pharmacies, but now my colleagues are frustrated because they can't find any at all."

Although some self-test kit stock was released after the holiday, it is expected to run out quickly again. A pharmacy in Seoul said, "We received stock this week, but only about 30 kits came in," adding, "It's hard to predict when more will arrive." The situation is worse in rural areas. A resident in their 30s from Chungnam sighed, "During the holiday, my father had cold symptoms, and despite visiting pharmacies in the city and town, we couldn't buy a single self-test kit." There was also some concentration of demand. When news spread that a large store had received self-test kits, customers flocked there, and the store limited purchases to one kit per person.

Purchasing online is equally difficult. A major online mall announced that if a two-test self-test kit is ordered on the 6th, it is expected to arrive on the 17th. The seller posted a notice saying, "Due to delayed restocking, sequential delivery will begin from the 11th." Products sold in bundles of 10 or more were listed as deliverable within 4 to 5 days. Taking advantage of this, the price of self-test kits, normally around 10,000 won per kit, soared up to 40,000 won. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has requested the removal of posts suspected of profiteering.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

"Shortage is temporary"... Government steps up supply expansion and price monitoring

There are also forecasts that the shortage of self-test kits will be temporary. As supply expands, profiteering is expected to naturally disappear. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced it will supply an additional 10 million self-test kits available for individual purchase over the next week. From the 6th to the 12th, 5.08 million kits will be supplied to pharmacies and 4.92 million kits to online shopping malls sequentially.

The Ministry has additionally approved GenBody and Sugentech kits and designated self-test kits as "public health emergency response medical products," initiating continuous monitoring of sales volume and prices. In Korea, a total of five types of self-test kits from five companies, including existing SD Biosensor, Humasis, and Rapigen products, are now available. A Ministry official said, "We will continue to secure sufficient supply of self-test kits. Individuals do not need to purchase excessively, and free testing is available at public health center screening clinics."

Concerns over rapid antigen test accuracy... Worrying 'false negatives'

Confusion among consumers remains regarding the accuracy of self-test kits. In the case of 'false positives,' individuals can still take PCR tests and take appropriate measures, but with 'false negatives,' people continue their daily lives as usual. This raises concerns about an increase in 'hidden confirmed cases' active in the community. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety only approves products that meet sensitivity of 90% or higher and specificity of 99% or higher. Sensitivity refers to the probability that a test result is positive for patients with the disease, and specificity refers to the probability that a test result is negative for people without the disease.

However, due to the nature of self-test kits used by non-experts, there is a possibility that specimen collection is not done properly. The Korean Society for Laboratory Medicine stated, "The sensitivity of rapid antigen tests is below 50% even when performed by medical professionals, and below 20% when self-administered. Especially in the early stages of infection, antigen test sensitivity is very low, and it must be used within one week from symptom onset to have high sensitivity. If introduced broadly to asymptomatic individuals, the risk of false negatives increases, which could rather spread the infection."

The government has repeatedly emphasized that reforming the diagnostic testing system is inevitable. With the rapid increase in confirmed cases, it is difficult to meet the growing testing demand with PCR capacity alone, and to quickly identify and respond to confirmed cases, some false negatives must be accepted. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency's Central Disease Control Headquarters urged, "Do not be complacent just because the result is negative; please strictly follow quarantine rules such as wearing masks," and recommended retesting if there is suspicion despite a negative result.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.