Abstract
Following considerable public pressure over the past few weeks, the federal government has announced concession card holders will soon be able to collect up to ten free rapid antigen tests over three months.
But everyone else will continue to have to purchase their own rapid antigen tests, which cost upwards of A$10 a test.
In countries like Singapore, the UK and Germany, rapid antigen tests are free for everyone.
We’ve developed a model that estimates how cost-effective a policy of government-funded rapid antigen tests for all Australians would be. We’ve released our economic analysis as a pre-print online, which is yet to be independently reviewed by other researchers.
We found a policy of government-funded rapid antigen tests for all is highly likely to be cost-effective...
But everyone else will continue to have to purchase their own rapid antigen tests, which cost upwards of A$10 a test.
In countries like Singapore, the UK and Germany, rapid antigen tests are free for everyone.
We’ve developed a model that estimates how cost-effective a policy of government-funded rapid antigen tests for all Australians would be. We’ve released our economic analysis as a pre-print online, which is yet to be independently reviewed by other researchers.
We found a policy of government-funded rapid antigen tests for all is highly likely to be cost-effective...
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Specialist publication | The Conversation |
| Publisher | The Conversation |
| Publication status | Published - 7 Jan 2022 |
Keywords
- COVID-19
- rapid antigen tests (RATs)
- Government funding
- Health care costs