A LOCAL pharmacy chain has moved to reassure Douglas residents and incoming tourists it has ample supplies of COVID-19 self-testing packets in stock and ready to go ahead of the upcoming Easter period in seven weeks’ time.

Sales of rapid antigen self-testing kits both oral and nasal are expected to rise late next month as a swathe of interstate tourists fly north for their holidays in Port Douglas.

“I think it's not too different from most items where more people will mean more demand,” Livelife pharmacy Port Douglas retail manager Dee Dean explained.

“Especially with travel and (the) various (testing) requirements involved with that.

“Demand (for rapid tests) have certainly slowed to some extent compared to where we were over the last couple of months.

“However, there is still definitely people wanting and needing them, plus we now have adequate supplies to cater for the government concessional access program, so patients are coming in to secure their supply of those.”

Being able to provide enough tests to local customers at the height of the pandemic proved a big challenge.

“At the start the problem, was of course, sourcing stock,” Ms Dean revealed.

“The demand hit like a freight train all over Australia and orders would come in dribbles on random days.

“Having customer limits and local business's really needing them to keep their doors open was very difficult at times.

“People were frustrated and we took a fair bit of that frustration.

“Now things have started to settle down somewhat, and we're able to supply to everyone who is in need of them.”