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Alberta doctors concerned with high demand for COVID-19 testing, province’s preparedness for testing in fall
consistently high demand for COVID-19 testing in Alberta and the length of time it is taking residents to book an appointment.There are worries that if the system is strained right now, it may not be able to handle demand in the fall, which will see not only COVID-19 but an expected increase in respiratory illnesses.Alberta was the first province in the country to open up testing to all Albertans, whether they are showing symptoms of COVID-19 or not.The demand for testing in both the Edmonton and Calgary zone has been sustained over the last few weeks; in the Edmonton zone, appointments booked topped more than 3,700 on July 21 while appointments booked topped 6,400 in the Calgary zone on the same day.The Edmonton zone averaged 2,908 tests a