Who’s making a buck: rapid test edition. Rapid, at-home COVID tests are pretty much essential if you want to see friends and family this holiday season, and stay safe.

But they’re freaking expensive and can be hard to find. What the heck happened?

When ProPublica reporter Eric Umansky went looking for COVID tests recently, he came back empty handed. He and fellow reporter Lydia DePillis investigated, tracing the US’s rapid testing problem all the way back to the FDA and other government agencies.

Plus, Dr. Celine Gounder talks about why these tests are so important in the first place and how best to deploy them this holiday season — if you can find some.

Here’s a transcript of the episode.

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Why rapid COVID tests are so freaking expensive

An Arm and a Leg

Why rapid COVID tests are so freaking expensive