TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan's health authorities are looking to extend the eligibility for free at-home COVID-19 test kits to cover more children and the financially disadvantaged.

Currently, seniors aged 65 and older as well as infants 6 and younger are provided five free self-test kits for each round. The proposal will give away five testing tools a month to youngsters aged 7-12 and low-and-middle-income households.

The measure is likely to be implemented by the end of the month, said health minister Hsueh Jui-yuan (薛瑞元) at a legislative briefing on Monday (Nov. 7). The details will be announced by the country’s Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Wednesday (Nov. 9).

According to Hsueh, the move aims to address the stockpile of approximately 130 million unused COVID screening kits. Most will expire at the end of 2023 or in early 2024, and the use of 10 million kits per month is needed to avoid waste.

ID-based purchase of at-home test kits is still available at over 4,500 pharmacies nationwide, priced at NT$500 (US$15.60) a pack, containing five units.

Taiwan reported 16,538 local cases on Monday (Nov. 7), down 26% from a week earlier, with 23 imported cases and 34 deaths.