As of January 13, critical workers are able to work on site when considered a close contact provided they pass a rapid test everyday of the infectious period.

There are still active cases being reported in the Northern Grampians shire daily.

Grampians Health Service interim chief executive Dale Fraser said the rapid antigen testing situation was "very challenging".

"There has been a huge demand for testing in all sectors as well as out in the community," he said.

"We are working with the central state supply chain to ensure that we can prioritise and make sure supplies that we get are directed to our areas of greatest need."

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Mr Fraser said the amount of rapid tests given to essential health workers in the Grampians changed day-to-day.

"Everyday we assess the number of tests available and use that number to prioritise them," he said.

"There are not yet enough tests for daily testing across the board for health care workers.

"We currently have enough tests for our priority areas that we have identified within the organisation."

Stawell Alliance Pharmacy manager Chantelle Barber said the RAT shortage "had been crazy".

"We have been sold out for months, I don't even remember how long," she said.

"I honestly didn't think it would be such an issue to be able to get them in.

"We get in excess of 25 questions a day regarding the tests about when they will be back in."

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Ms Barber said the pharmacy was unsure of when their next order of tests would arrive.

"We were told different dates as to when the tests would arrive," she said.

"We were told more would come in on the 18th of January but then they never rocked up.

"The health service said we would receive some at the end of the month, but that could change too."

From January 24 eligible Commonwealth concession card holders were advised tests would be able to be picked up from pharmacies.

The federal government announcement also stated holders of the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card, Department of Veterans Affairs Gold, White or Orange Card, Health Care Card, Low Income Health Card and Pensioner Concession Card didn't have to pay for the test.

"We have been asked about that but we haven't actually been educated how that would work," Ms Phillips said.

"When people ask us how we would do this, I say I am sorry I actually don't know."

Ms Barber said the pharmacy had a long list of back orders to fulfil before more people could order more tests.

"We have so many on back order so we will work through those first," she said.

"We don't know when we will get in.

"It is really frustrating, the customers get frustrated too but we can't control it."

Aussie Kindies Early Learning Centre Stawell manager Kathryn Allen said her staff haven't had the need to access rapid antigen tests.

"We don't have any and I wouldn't know how we would (get them)," she said.

"The staff who are trying to get some personally is just a nightmare."

Mrs Allen said obtaining some rapid antigen tests would make her staff feel more at ease.

"If we had some on site, we would obviously be more comfortable," she said.

"We would need to go through our head office, but I don't think they have had any luck either."

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