The federal government is no longer sending rapid COVID-19 antigen tests to provinces, allowing millions to expire unused within the year. Health Canada said the decision to end shipments was made in collaboration with provinces and territories, which have enough supply..According to Health Canada, there are 90 million rapid tests in the federal inventory. A total of 80,000 of those will expire within six months, 6.5 million will expire within the year, and the rest will expire within two years.."Canada has robust inventories and is well prepared for COVID response," said Anne Génier of Health Canada..The federal government ordered more than 811 million rapid tests since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, costing around $5 billion. Around 680 million of those were sent to provinces and territories..While provinces were scrambling to get as many rapid tests as possible during the peak of the pandemic, demand for their use fell in 2022 as public health restrictions were lifted. The government has also established relationships with companies that can deliver the tests on an as-needed basis..Nearly every region of Canada said they have not destroyed or repurposed the tests because Health Canada extended the expiration date for many brands. But experts are concerned that the tests, which aren't always accurate to begin with, will become even less accurate over time as the chemicals within them age..Tens of millions of COVID-19 vaccines were also wasted, costing taxpayers an estimated $1 billion, according to a report from Canada's auditor general released last December. The report found 21.7 million doses awaiting donation to other countries could soon expire, while 29.7 million doses were sitting unused in federal, provincial, and territorial inventories..READ MORE: AG REPORT: Tens of millions of vaccine doses to expire, costing Canadian taxpayers $1 billion.Despite this waste, an estimated 90 million additional COVID-19 vaccine doses are set to be delivered in 2023 and 2024. The vaccines under contract for shipment are enough for every Canadian adult to receive another four booster shots.
