Rapid testing of COVID-19, a tool that experts believe is vital to fighting the pandemic, will not be sent to Canadian provinces and territories by the end of the year, and some fear it may be “too soon” to take. decision.
“Quick tests are an amazing tool. Then if not, what?” Asked Colin Furness, an infection control epidemiologist and adjunct professor at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Information, as she spoke to Global News on Friday. .
“It may be too soon. I say [that] it may be because I think what is missing here is a plan. What is our plan for managing this pandemic? “
More information: Ottawa will reduce fast COVID-19 test shipments to provinces and territories later this year
Having a plan to protect vulnerable populations, such as children under the age of five who cannot yet be vaccinated, is crucial before stopping the sending of rapid tests, Furness says.
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“One of the reasons we use rapid testing is to protect vulnerable people. If we’re going to end rapid testing before this group can be protected, I’d say it’s a parody of epic proportions,” he said.
The cessation of rapid testing will also lead some to believe that the COVID-19 pandemic is over when it really isn’t, according to Furness.
“If we’re not testing people and finding positive cases, there’s no pandemic,” he said. “These two are working hand in hand to represent essentially a reality that is really a stark contrast to what is happening in hospitals.”
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As of June 3, new confirmed cases of COVID-19 have brought the national total to more than 3.87 million and more than 41,200 deaths.
Currently, more than 3,500 patients are in the hospital with COVID-19 in Canada, including more than 230 people in intensive care.
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The country currently has an average of 43 deaths a day.
Some experts also warned against possible storage before the shipment actually ends.
“I think it’s inevitable that there will be people trying to store it,” Kyro Maseh, owner of Lawlor Pharmacy in Toronto, ON, told Global News. “Closer to the date is imminent, you will find people accumulating.”
Read more: COVID-19 border measures to stay at least until the end of June: PHAC
Furness agrees.
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“Accumulation behavior is a human instinct in times of uncertainty and fear,” Furness said.
It is impossible to predict the future of the pandemic, but Maseh wants to know if the federal government has a real plan.
“I’m going to ask the federal government a question, do you have a plan to offer these tests in a timely manner? Does it essentially increase the performance of these tests if you require them?” he asked.
While Ottawa is stopping shipments, a reserve of 100 million quick tests will be maintained. Fifty million will go to the provinces and territories, and the other 50 million will go to “general increase requirements,” according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.
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However, Maseh has his doubts.
“The federal government did not offer Canadians quick tests for about two years in this pandemic, and when they did, they were exhausted,” Maseh said.
“Reproducing what happened last December, if the question is, is 50 million enough evidence for the whole of Canada, I personally would say no.”
The contents of a COVID-19 antigen rapid test kit are shown in Calgary on January 4, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS / Jeff McIntosh
However, not everyone agrees.
With limited funding for health care, Stephen Hoption Cann, a clinical professor at the School of Public Health and Population at the University of British Columbia, believes it is time to end sending rapid tests.
“I think it’s time to move forward and move funding priorities elsewhere, especially with this new monkeypox outbreak,” he said.
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Canada now has 77 confirmed cases of monkeypox, with 71 in Quebec, five in Ontario and one in Alberta.
The disease is transmitted from animals to humans and comes from the same family of viruses that cause smallpox, which was declared eradicated in 1980, according to the World Health Organization website.
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In addition to the smallpox of the monkey, Hoption Cann also said that another increase in COVID-19 could be possible in the future.
“As we have seen through the pandemic, these numbers are rising and falling. There may be another increase in the autumn. The children are back in school, the universities are busy. It is difficult to predict and we do not know if a new variant will come out ”.
Rapid testing may still play a role in limiting the spread of COVID-19, but personal protections such as masking are important steps anyone can take to stay safe, said Dr. Theresa Tam, director of public health at COVID-19. Canada.
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“Quick tests can potentially change people’s behavior if they get a positive test, but as we all know, a negative test doesn’t mean you don’t have it, and that these other measures would also be extremely important to continue.” to say. he said Friday during a press conference.
“At this stage of the pandemic, some of the roles and responsibilities go back to the provincial jurisdictions.”
–– with files by Aaron D’Andrea
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.