The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) says it plans to continue distributing rapid COVID-19 tests to provinces and territories at least until the end of the year, but is expected to reassess the situation and maintain a “reserve strategic “for the future.
“As we approach the next phase of our response to COVID-19, we will continue to support the provinces and territories by providing rapid testing until at least December 2022,” PHAC said in a statement sent by mail. electronic on CTV News.
The plan will be re-evaluated before the end of the year, after monitoring changes in the spread of COVID-19, with the possibility of rapid test distribution continuing, PHAC said.
The agency said the federal government will maintain a strategic reserve of 100 million rapid tests “as part of the overall national preparedness strategy,” with 50 million reserved for provinces and territories, and the remaining half for requirements. general increase.
The federal government has been offering free rapid testing kits to provinces and territories since October 2020, although across the country, the provinces have taken a number of different approaches to deploying rapid antigen testing. .
Rapid antigen testing at home became a crucial tool in the last months of the pandemic, which has been driven by the more transmissible Omicron variant and because fewer people are now eligible for PCR testing.
The PHAC says the Canadian government will continue to receive quick test orders for direct distribution to organizations with 200 or more employees until July 29.
Pharmacy members will be able to send orders until September 30, for distribution to small and medium-sized businesses.
The general deployment of the federal government’s COVID-19 rapid tests has been considered a failure, with nearly two in five Canadians saying they have had difficulty trying to obtain a rapid COVID-19 test, according to a survey. April Statistics Canada.
The PHAC says that as of May 18, it has distributed more than 369 million rapid tests this year to provinces and territories.