With COVID cases dramatically rising and testing lines stretching out for hours, Australians are urged to try rapid antigen tests (RATs) at home to see if they have COVID. However, finding these tests has proved to be an elusive and frustrating task. With low stock levels and reports of price gouging, the last thing any sick person wants to do is explore every pharmacy and supermarket to see if there are any RATs available. On Monday, Melbourne software developer Matt Hayward launched his solution. The website, Find a RAT, will help you check for any rapid antigen tests available in your area.
Introducing Find a RAT – Easily find and report on Rapid Antigen Test availability across Australia.
Built by yours truely! Jump on and report those RAT stock levels! https://t.co/f2ZiErkCN4 😷🐀 #COVID19VIC— VicExposureSiteBot (@ExposureSiteBot) January 3, 2022
Find A RAT
Demand for rapid antigen tests are high, with 500, 000 hits to the Find A RAT website between Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning.
Information on the website is crowd-sourced from users, so if you’re out and about, and if you find a store with stock, simply log in to add a report. You’ll find that reports are ordered by the most recent update, so you can keep an eye on what’s available and aren’t relying on outdated information.
On the map, you’ll find that places with RATs in stock are marked in green, places with a low amount of stock are in orange, and if there’s nothing available, the place will be marked in red.
Simply pop in your postcode in the search bar to find what’s available near you.
As the website is still quite fresh, Hayward is currently working on moderating the site, to prevent the spread of misinformation.
For more information about rapid antigen tests in South Australia, click here.
To Find A RAT or make a report, click here.