Jason Copping offers an update in Edmonton on Tuesday, September 21, 2021. Starting next week, the province says Alberta residents will need a referral from a medical professional to get a PCR test and some test sites they will change. Alberta’s health minister said in a statement that the changes will allow the province to direct its testing capacity to those most at risk. THE CANADIAN PRESS / Jason Franson
EDMONTON – The Alberta government says it is changing the way people test for COVID-19.
Starting next week, Albertans who need a PCR test to report their medical treatment should receive a referral from a health care professional.
Physicians should determine the best test option for their patients, which could include quick tests at home or in a clinic, swabs in the clinic with the sample sent to the lab for PCR testing, or a referral to a Alberta health services for testing.
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Physicians will also be required to request laboratory tests on behalf of their patients while using Alberta Health Services ’online appointment booking system.
Symptoms of people living or working in isolated indigenous communities and working in certain high-risk settings, such as health care, continuing care, and correctional facilities, will continue to be available for self-referrals.
Health Minister Jason Copping says in a statement that the changes would allow the province to direct its testing capacity to those most at risk and allow health workers who were deployed to assessment centers during the pandemic return to their usual functions.
Dr. Deena Hinshaw, the province’s medical director of health, says Alberta can expect to see waves of COVID-19 continue in the fall.
“I would like to remind Albertans of the importance of controlling symptoms, staying home when they are sick, and, for those eligible for treatment, quickly accessing rapid tests or PCR when they are sick,” he said.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on July 12, 2022