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Ontario seeks to expand use of rapid COVID tests in shifting pandemic strategy
COVID-19 testing volumes have plummeted since PCR access was sharply restricted in the face of an Omicron surge, but rather than widely re-expanding eligibility in the future, the province appears to be forging a new pandemic testing path.Demand for tests at the end of last year saw a high of more than 75,000 processed the day the government announced eligibility would be limited largely to high-risk individuals – including patients in hospital, residents and staff in long-term care, and people being considered for COVID-19 treatments.There have been calls to allow more residents to access gold-standard PCR tests, including students and staff in schools and child-care settings, now that an average of 25,460 tests have been processed each day over the past week, including a low of 15,008 one day on the weekend. 2,939 people in Ontario hospitals with COVID, 555 in intensive care Instead, the government is sending millions of rapid antigen tests to schools and recent comments from the chief medical officer of health suggest shifting testing priorities, with a declining emphasis provincewide on PCR tests.When asked about returning to a broader PCR eligibility, Dr.