Walmart, Walgreens Limit Sales of At-Home COVID-19 Tests Amid Omicron Surge

Dec 21 (Reuters) – Walmart Inc and Walgreens Boots Alliance have limited sales of at-home COVID-19 testing kits, citing a surge in demand due to the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

The variant has become dominant in the United States with lightning speed, dashing hopes for a more normal holiday season, resurrecting restrictions and stretching the country’s testing infrastructure ahead of holiday travel and gatherings.

Walgreens said in an emailed statement on Tuesday that it would limit both online and in-store purchases of test kits to four per customer. The company also said it was working with suppliers to catch up with demand.

Walmart set a limit of eight tests for each online order, but allowed its physical stores to set their own limits depending on inventory levels.

“We do have strong inventory levels nationally in store,” Walmart said in a statement. “However, inventory is more limited online, depending on the zip code.”

The Biden administration said on Tuesday it would buy 500 million at-home rapid tests that Americans can order online for free starting in January.

(Reporting by Ananya Mariam Rajesh and Ruhi Soni in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli and Aditya Soni)

Reuters

Recent Posts

Glitter, Grit, And Government: The Drag Show Educating Texas Voters

Every Tuesday night, a downtown Austin dance…

23 hours ago

Millions, Math, And Mayhem In The Lone Star State, Led By “The Joker”

In the spring of 2023, a high-stakes…

23 hours ago

HB 5580 Would Force Sheriffs Into ICE Agreements, Critics Warn of Civil Rights Fallout

On Monday, the Texas House Subcommittee on County & Regional Government heard testimony on House…

1 day ago

Texas State Budget Heads to Closed-Door Negotiations, But Critics Say Texans Are Paying for Partisan Politics, Not Public Priorities

Following its passage by the Texas House last Friday, the $337 billion biennial budget, Senate…

2 days ago

Elon Musk’s Lawyer Runs For Texas AG As Ken Paxton Eyes Senate

John Bash, former U.S. attorney and current…

2 days ago

From Bitcoin To AI: Tech Boom Tests Limits Of Texas Grid

The Texas power grid is entering a…

2 days ago

This website uses cookies.