As the world continues to adjust to pandemic life, it’s now considered normal to have to get tested before attending gatherings. The current problem with this adaptation is that COVID-19 tests are nowhere to be found, and the government’s solution is to allow one set of four tests to be ordered per household. While this sounds like an apt solution, college students living in dorms and off-campus housing filled with roommates are finding the four per household deal falls short.

On January 18, Joe Biden launched a program that would allow each household to order one set of four at-home COVID-19 tests. The catch is that only one person from each household can order one per home address, so once one has been ordered, nobody else at that address can get one.

Four tests seems like a fair option for each household on the surface, as that is the average household size in America, but college students often live with up to six people, sometimes more. Although free tests are a great resource, allowing one set of four tests for households containing more than four people feels like a slap in the face.

Aliyah Arreola, a first year student at Sonoma State, thought she could order her four tests for her campus roommates, like the email sent out by the university said. However, it did not happen as she expected it to. 

Arreola expressed that she was frustrated trying to order tests for her household, as it seems someone had already purchased the allotted one pack of four, even though none of her roommates were able to do so. Not being able to get tests for on-campus households has been something that has caused Arreola and her roommates, as well as many other college students, so much anxiety and stress. 

While a somewhat normal college experience seems to be on the horizon, it remains just out of reach due to this shortage of COVID-19 tests. Students are stuck between a rock and a hard place under these circumstances, as return to in-person instruction is set for Feb. 12 at SSU, and access to COVID-19 testing is an essential part of keeping everyone safe. 

Another student, Jenna Restuccia, lives in the SSU dorms and said, “I live with four roommates plus myself, so we don’t even get the option to have enough tests.” 

She also said, “It makes it hard to feel safe and healthy when I cannot get a test because some of my roommates are not vaccinated,” which is why she tries to make it to the on campus testing when available. 

While on-campus testing is an excellent resource, scheduling can be difficult and testing is only currently available to those actively experiencing symptoms. The only solution here is to allow each person to order a test kit, as this would ensure there’s enough to go around.

Overall, the shortage of COVID-19 tests is affecting everyone, but the fact that a supposed solution to the issue is not doing anything to help college students is unfair and concerning.