Checking your HIV status is now as simple as pricking your finger with a home self-test kit – assuming you can afford to buy one.
Last fall, Health Canada approved HIV self-test kits made by Richmond, BC-based company bioLytical, but a single kit costs $34.95 and two are $54.95 – plus shipping that can run up to $20.
“That’s quite a lot of money for people who are facing financial challenges, especially during the pandemic,” says Nathan Lachowsky, a University of Victoria professor and research director at Vancouver’s Community-Based Research Centre.
HIV self-test kit
To make the tests accessible to more people and study uptake, the CBRC, in partnership with REACH Nexus at Toronto’s St. Michael’s Hospital, is sending out 15,000 rapid self-test kits for free to gay, bi, trans, Two-Spirit and queer men (GBT2Q) and non-binary people who participate in the organization’s annual Sex Now survey.
This article was written by Kevin Ritchie and originally posted on NOW Magazine. Please click HERE to read the full article.
