Pharmacists direct customers seeking COVID-19 self-test kits to hospitals

Pharmacies in Bengaluru redirect customers seeking self-test kits to hospitals to help with record keeping of positive cases. Masks & sanitizers demand lower due to absence of reported cases.

As COVID-19 is back in the news with the emergence of the JN.1 variant, the demand for self-test kits has increased in Bengaluru. However, instead of selling these kits to the customers, pharmacies are redirecting them to hospitals to help with record keeping of positive cases.

A manager at a pharmacy on Brigade Road said that the demand for self-test kits was around 200 per day. He also said that most pharmacies were not maintaining that kind of stock. “There has been a notable uptick in the demand for self-test kits. But, if we encounter customers exhibiting COVID-19-like symptoms seeking medications, we are directing such individuals to nearby hospitals rather than dispensing medication directly,” he said.

Since the earlier waves of COVID-19, the government had mandated pharmacies to maintain records of the persons they sold the kit to and also details of the results of the test. After purchasing the kits, most customers do not come back to update the results, the pharmacists said.

“At pharmacies which are tied to hospitals, self-test kits are not given without a prescription from the physicians. Hence, the follow-up becomes easier. That is why we advise people to go there,” said Ravindra Kumar M.J., State Secretary, Karnataka Chemists and Distributors Association.

The pharmacists also noted that, unlike the previous waves, there is no sense of panic among people to buy COVID-related medical supplies like thermometers, pulse-oxymeters, and paracetamol tablets. “Around 20% of customers are aware and responsible this time, others are not caring much,” Mr. Kumar said.

With many educational institutions and private companies making it compulsory for students and employees to wear face masks, the sales of the same has slightly increased in Bengaluru.

M.K. Mayanna, president, Bruhat Bengaluru Chemists and Druggists Association said, “There have been a few inquiries for masks and sanitizers, but the demand is not as pronounced as it was during the peak of the pandemic.” He clarified that the lower demand could be attributed to the absence of reported cases in Bengaluru.