PETALING JAYA: The surge in Covid-19 cases fuelled by the highly transmissible Omicron variant is seeing antigen rapid test kits (RTK) flying off pharmacy and supermarket shelves with shortages hitting some states during the festive holidays earlier this month.

       The public, however, is calling for pricing of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests to be lowered as there have been cases whereby persons testing negative using self-test RTK were later confirmed positive after PCR lab tests were carried out, thus creating doubts toward the home kit’s accuracy.

       Malaysian Pharmacists Society (MPS) president Amrahi Buang said the current Omicron wave has increased the demand for the self-test kits while the Chinese New Year and Federal Territories Day celebrations earlier this month also saw brisk sales of the home test kits.

       This is because people are now more aware about self-testing before travelling or visiting relatives, said Amrahi, adding that in some states, stocks were unavailable due to logistics challenges during the festive season.

       Caring Pharmacy Retail Management Sdn Bhd head of procurement, health, beauty and own brands category Foo Fung Jiun said the sudden spike in Covid-19 cases recently has boosted the awareness of self-testing.

       People are also starting to learn that they will need to do a number of RTK tests daily from the day that they come into contact with Covid-19 positive individuals, especially on days four, five and six, said Foo.

       Due to competitive market forces, there are test kits that sell for as low as RM4.

       There are also premium quality ones priced at about RM18, said Foo, adding that customers are spoilt for choice with some even “confused” over the various choices available.

       Malaysians are also urging the government to lower the pricing of PCR tests in order to give the public more affordable access to the gold standard test for Covid-19.

       A young executive from Kuala Lumpur related her nightmarish episode using multiple RTK self-tests.

       Ariana Rozman, 25, said that she did a RTK self-test before leaving for work as she had begun showing symptoms for Covid-19. The results, however, turned out negative.

       “I decided to do a PCR test at a clinic on the third day because my symptoms matched the Covid-19 illness. Before going, I did the RTK self-test again and it was negative.

       “However, the PCR results from the clinic turned out to be positive,” Ariana said, adding that she was shocked that multiple RTK tests showed she was still “negative”.

       “During the quarantine period, I did the RTK test again. The results were still negative even though I was showing symptoms such as fever, loss of the sense of smell and taste among others,” she added.

       She was then admitted to the hospital as she was listed as a Category Two A patient.

       She suggested that PCR tests should be made more affordable – at about RM50 – to encourage more people to get tested.

       Emir Hefri, a university student in Pahang, said despite the negative result in his RTK self-test kit, he was found to be Covid-19 positive following the PCR swab test.

       “I had symptoms like the loss of smell and taste on top of fever, but the RTK result showed I was negative until I decided to take the PCR test, which resulted in a positive diagnosis,” the 20-year-old added.

       He also said that the cost must be reasonable enough to ensure more people are able to get tested with higher accuracy when they show symptoms.

       Upon checking, the costs for Covid-19 swab tests using PCR in private clinics range between RM150 to RM260.

       A supervisor contractor from Sungai Buloh, Selangor, said that the nature of his work exposed him to many people thus risking him to infection. Hence, a compulsory two-week basis screening test is a requirement.

       Wishing only to be known as Yong, he urged more organisations and government agencies to carry out affordable Covid-19 screening tests using PCR, as the current market prices were too expensive for most people.

       Account executive Noorazila Yaziz from Bangsar said the test should be capped at RM100 as it has already become a necessity for most people.

       “RM100 is reasonable enough, and most basic necessities nowadays have also increased in price so the test price must also be lowered,” she said.

       Another executive Alex Lee, 30, from Cheras said that a more affordable and accurate PCR test is important to encourage people to get tested.

       He said it is important to get screened for the virus before attending gatherings to keep the virus away from higher-risk family members such as the elderly and children.