New changes to reporting rules mean that NSW residents must report any positive at-home tests, with fines of up to $1000 for failing to report a reading. While the changes have meant over 50,000 have been able to register positive results, the tests themselves are far from meeting the demand.

Kym Ramsey, from Priceline Pharmacy, said that they were often receiving huge amounts of calls each day asking about the tests.

"We get many inquiries a day. Some days, we're probably getting 50 calls just in the morning," he explained.

"We've had them on order for a while, but we only got a small amount."

Mr Ramsey added that he was understanding of the desperation surrounding the tests, especially as the lines for the more accurate PCR tests extend for hours.

"There's not much choice at the moment so I completely understand people calling every day. Every person who calls, I completely understand and we want them as much as they do ... It's a big potluck."

READ MORE

He added that most calling were understanding of the short supply, with very little pushback on hearing the bad news.

In happier news, Mr Ramsey said that the recent trend of price gouging that swept NSW had slowed.

"The rules are pretty set now. You can't do it, you get fined anyway," he explained.

"We're not here to make a profit on them, we're just here to get them out to people. We'd love to have them but we just don't. Even if someone gets a few in the morning, they're gone straight away."

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: