Labuan is facing a shortage of Covid-19 Antigen Rapid Self-Test kits due to an unusually high demand in the past two weeks, said Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry Labuan office director Junaidah Arbain.
She said consumers on this duty-free island are still relying on supplies from Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia and most retailers are importing in bulk.
“We must not deny the shortage of the saliva test kit here over the past few days, and this is due to the high demand.
“Our enforcement team is monitoring the situation. They visited pharmacies and received feedback on the availability of the kits on their shelves,” she told Bernama today.
She said the high demand was due to increased public awareness on the importance of conducting self-tests, especially upon arrival in Labuan.
“The supply of saliva test kits takes a little longer to arrive in Labuan and the stock is finishing faster than before.
“We hope the situation will return to normal in the next few days, and that pharmacies will not increase prices indiscriminately,” she said.
Junaidah said the ministry was considering the applications of several shops to sell self-test kits.
“The ministry is still maintaining the ceiling price of RM19.50 per kit in Labuan but is not preventing them from selling at lower prices,” she said.
- Bernama
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