By Renju Jose

SYDNEY (Reuters), -The Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison claimed Monday that there were no shortages in at-home antigen test supplies as the authorities dealt with an Omicron epidemic. The outbreak has prompted an increase in hospitalizations and strain testing.

Australia faces a shortage in at-home rapid-antigen kits. This is after close friends who were symptomatic told them to skip government-funded testing centers, which can delay results for several days.

All over the world, there is a shortage of rapid antigen testing. Morrison said that this isn’t something unique to Australia. It’s part and parcel of Omicron. Omicron disrupted everything

The country’s competition regulator, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), on Monday flagged “significant concerns” about reports of price gouging https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australia-regulator-flags-significant-concerns-price-hike-covid-19-antigen-tests-2022-01-16 of testing kits amid reports of stockpiling and called inflated prices “clearly outrageous”.

Rod Sims, Chair of the ACCC, stated that kits can be as high as A$500 ($361) online from retailers and A$70 at test locations when they are available at A$10 in pharmacies.

Morrison had to step down from office because of his handling of Omicron and insufficient supplies. In the midst of political pressure, he agreed that ten kits would be provided for low-income households.

Morrison has refused to comply with calls from doctors and trade unions for free screenings for all. He stated that the government will not pay the costs, as it believes there is more responsibility for each individual.

Sally McManus, Secretary to the Australian Council of Trade Unions, said that dozens of unions would meet on Monday to discuss “the failure of the Federal Government in keeping us safe.” According to the Australian Institute, almost three quarters (74%) of respondents believed they should receive free antigen tests.

Victoria started rolling out antigen testing to vulnerable populations and frontline workers on Monday in an effort to reduce pressure on testing centres. Other states were still waiting for the millions of kits.

Australia reported almost 1.3 million cases in two weeks after containing the virus early on during the pandemic. This is a huge increase from the previous days, which overwhelmed hospitals and testing centers.

Daily infections on Monday dipped in New South Wales and Victoria, Australia’s most populous states, amid expectations the Omicron wave had neared its peak https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australia-nears-omicron-peak-daily-infections-hover-around-records-2022-01-15 in the country. However, net hospitalisations are still high with more people being admitted than ever before during the Omicron wave.

On Monday, nearly 74,000 cases were reported. This was the lowest number of cases in one week. The national daily number had reached a new record of 150,000 on Thursday, but has been falling steadily since.

Since the outbreak, Australia has seen around 1.6million infections and 269 deaths.