what's going on with rapid covid testing in canada?

many canadians are waiting anxiously for covid-19 test results, with some provinces, such as alberta, warning the process can take as long as seven to 10 days . but as case numbers — and deaths — continue to climb, it’s clear that one of the keys to curbing the spread is speeding up the time it takes to identify infection.

in early october, health canada announced a purchasing agreement for 20.5 million panbio covid-19 antigen rapid tests with abbott rapid diagnostics, the first approved in canada. universities touted new portable testing kits with quick turnaround and premiers spoke of “game changer” tests that had results ready in hours, or even minutes. 

and despite concern around the accuracy of rapid test results, with some provinces viewing the tests as experimental, rapid tests are being made available to travellers, teachers and those living in remote communities. there’s also been buy-in from mining companies and crown corporations. healthing took a look at what provinces are using the tests and who is getting tested. 

the bulk of covid-19 tests used by public health officials in canada are called polymerase chain reaction (pcr) tests or molecular tests . c onsidered the “gold standard,” these tests use nucleic acid technology to detect the virus’ rna and are generally seen as more accurate than rapid antigen testing. however, results can take longer because of reliance on medical labs and other equipment such as computers and reagents.

antigen testing is faster and cheaper than pcr, picking up on viral proteins — or antigens — on the surface of the coronavirus. lab processing and medical professionals aren’t necessarily required to do the test, offering point-of-care testing — which means faster, on-site testing. in the case of the panbio test , all it takes is a nasal swab and a test strip for results within 15 minutes. 

“having a test that’s not as accurate or sensitive as the pcr test — one that can be rapidly used to identify people who are infectious, that doesn’t require going out, waiting in line, and waiting for the long turnaround to get the result — is going to help,” ashleigh tuite, an infectious disease epidemiologist and professor at the university of toronto, told healthing in september.

generally, a lot of the news around rapid testing has focused on antigen tests. but there have been new pcr testing devices that promise accurate results fast. in september, health canada approved the hyris bcube handheld device, a portable system for pcr tests, which promises results within 90 minutes, as well as abbot’s id now tests , another point-of-care test. 

a new variant of covid-19, first identified in the u.k. and now seen in a few cities in canada, has sparked a number of concerns. however, the variant, which involves a mutation in the virus’ spike protein, isn’t sneaking past pcr and antigen tests. chagla explains the antigen test focuses on more proteins than just the spike protein of covid. with the pcr tests, most labs are looking at multiple genetic targets and not simply the spike protein.

on july 13, the sars-cov-2 real-time rt-pcr device was first used at a gold mine in rainy river, ontario, just weeks after approval by health canada. dr. mario thomas, ceo of precision, the distributor of the tests, told northern ontario business that the portable device provides results in just over an hour, and has seen buy-in from uranium and iron ore mine operators as well. thomas said other companies using the precision device to test workers include a b.c. film studio, a bay street business, fisheries in nova scotia, a construction company in manitoba and a pulp and paper mill in québec. 

there are also a number of rapid testing projects in ports of entry across the country including a joint pilot project from the governments of canada and alberta focusing on travellers entering canada via the coutts land border crossing and the calgary international airport in alberta. according to westjet , test results are ready in as little as two days. researchers from the university of british columbia and providence health care are also testing samples from passengers departing from vancouver airport.

after an outbreak in halifax, nova scotia health officials adopted antigen testing in november, turning a night club into a testing centre. it’s believed to be the first rapid testing pop-up site in canada. no appointments were necessary, according to cbc news; those who received a positive test were then given a second pcr test to verify the results.

the saguenay—lac-saint-jean region of quebec is among the hardest hit parts of the province. the montreal gazette reports it will become among the first in quebec to receive id now tests. it’s hoped that the point-of-care tests will speed up testing significantly: the region had been relying on labs in montreal, hundreds of kilometres away, for results confirmation.

many remote and northern communities are also turning to rapid antigen testing, given the lack of access to healthcare workers and medical labs necessary for traditional pcr tests.  in late november, ontario announced it will be using id now tests in hospitals and assessment centres in rural and remote regions, as well as hotspot regions, for the initial rollout. in manitoba, id now tests were recently deployed outside the capital region, including the northern regional health authority, home to communities such as thompson, and the pas.

nunavut residents, awaiting entry to the territory from winnipeg isolation hubs, will have access to rapid antigen tests.  attawapaskat , in northern ontario, recently received rapid tests following an outbreak there.

manitoba  rolled out a winnipeg testing centre specifically for healthcare workers and first responders, and eventually added rapid testing to the mix on nov. 25. ctv news reports that many individuals received both tests so that the province can compare the id now tests against traditional tests for accuracy. t he province also announced plans to kick off a pilot program focused on rapid testing for teachers starting in january, though more details will become available closer to the launch. 

ontario launched an eight-week pilot project in the muskoka region on dec. 14, allowing asymptomatic parademics to get tested with panbio antigen tests. the project is more of a screening tool: paramedics who test positive will follow up with a pcr test at a testing centre.

in late november, the government of ontario indicated in a news release that panbio tests had been “deployed to six long-term care operators for potential deployment in over 30 long-term care homes, 27 retirement homes and eight hospitals.” similarly, around the same time, saskatchewan launched a pilot program , deploying point-of-care testing units for hospitals in regina, saskatoon, prince albert and moose jaw. rapid antigen tests, meanwhile, were sent to long-term care and personal care homes.

b.c. recently announced a plan for voluntary testing of asymptomatic workers in some long-term care homes in vancouver coastal health and providence health regions, while  alberta announced plans for a pilot to bring panbio rapid antigen tests to one assessment centre in calgary and one in edmonton. the id now tests will be used in covid-19 assessment centres in slave lake and st. paul and at the bonnyville hospital.

as health canada notes, “early diagnosis is critical to slowing and reducing the spread of covid-19.” the agency is currently evaluating 114 different testing devices.

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what's going on with rapid covid testing in canada?

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