The Government of Canada plans to stop supplying provinces and territories with free COVID-19 rapid tests, which has an an infection management epidemiologist anxious about two-tiered well being care, elevated unfold and elevated health-care prices.
“The federal government continues to support Canada’s rapid testing needs while the federal inventory remains,” Health Canada spokesperson Nicholas Janveau informed Newz9.
“That said, rapid test programming was and continues to be a provincial/territorial responsibility.”
Ottawa presently has about 70 million of the tests, which individuals can use at house to display screen for the virus. About 3.6 million of those have already expired and are ineligible for distribution.
The tests normally come in packing containers of 5, which might imply a list of simply over 13 million take a look at kits.
Given the present COVID-19 outlook, stock ranges, and indicated testing calls for, the federal authorities doesn’t anticipate the necessity for added federal procurements right now.– Nicholas Janveau, Health Canada spokesperson
Canada’s estimated inhabitants, as of Jan. 1, is almost 41 million, in accordance to Statistics Canada.
While Health Canada has approved extending the shelf lifetime of some rapid tests, all the tests within the federal stock will expire by December, mentioned Janveau.
“Given the current COVID-19 outlook, inventory levels, and indicated testing demands, the federal government does not anticipate the need for additional federal procurements at this time,” he mentioned in an emailed assertion.
Public well being shouldn’t be primarily based on ‘skill to pay’
Infection management epidemiologist Colin Furness, a self-described “early and strong proponent of rapid tests,” who has spent years saying extra assets are wanted to combat the pandemic, mentioned he is not stunned Ottawa desires to “get out of the testing game” and would not blame the federal authorities since well being care is a provincial and territorial accountability.
The drawback, mentioned Furness, is that if the jurisdictions do not step up to present free, or not less than backed tests, individuals will be pressured to purchase them if they need to know whether or not they’re COVID-positive and may take measures to stop transmission. And this creates a divide.
“Public health should not be based on your ability to pay,” mentioned Furness, an affiliate professor on the University of Toronto.
Some individuals can afford to purchase rapid tests, obtainable at some pharmacies, shops and on-line for about $7 plus tax per take a look at, however “many can’t.”
“I think we should be very cognizant that rapid tests are part of what makes us healthy. It’s part of health care. It’s a diagnostic [tool] and it just doesn’t make sense to commodify it,” mentioned Furness. “It’s just going to create sickness and sickness is expensive for everybody.”
N.B. to decide subsequent steps for its program
At least one province is mulling the future of its COVID-19 rapid point-of-care testing program. Last week, New Brunswick mentioned demand for the tests has declined steadily since final fall, and the province is “determining next steps.”
New Brunswick has an satisfactory provide of the tests, that are all due to expire in September, mentioned Department of Health spokesperson Sean Hatchard.
He didn’t say what number of, however the federal authorities’s web site reveals New Brunswick had an estimated stock of 147,000 tests from Ottawa, as of final June — the smallest stockpile within the nation. The division has beforehand mentioned it has an extra reserve of tests, nonetheless, past what’s reported on the federal web site.
Hatchard didn’t say if the province plans to order any extra.
Lack of public well being insurance policies, messaging
Furness mentioned it is no shock demand for rapid tests has dropped as a result of public well being officers throughout the nation aren’t telling individuals to take a look at.
“They’re going along with the narrative that really there isn’t any more COVID, or very little, and this is not something you need to worry about,” he mentioned.
Similarly, there aren’t any COVID insurance policies, mentioned Furness.
“I mean, what good is it to test positive if you still have to go to work because you need to feed your family and you don’t have any paid sick days, right?
“What good is a rapid take a look at when public well being steering says, ‘Well, so long as you are feeling fairly good and you are not coughing too exhausting, it’s best to go forward and go to work?'”
Stay home when sick, regardless of testing
Testing is an important tool to limit the spread of COVID-19, along with personal protective measures and vaccination, the Health Canada spokesperson acknowledged.
“Rapid tests could also be used to shortly determine if in case you have COVID-19, and isolate if the result’s optimistic,” said Janveau.
Still, the Public Health Agency of Canada recommends anyone who feels sick or has COVID-like symptoms stay home and limit their contact with others — regardless of whether they’ve tested positive or not, he said.
Federal strategic reserve no longer maintained
Ottawa ordered more than 811 million rapid tests throughout the pandemic, at a cost of about $5 billion. Of those, roughly 680 million went to provincial and territorial rapid testing programs.
A federal strategic reserve of rapid tests was maintained till Dec. 31, to guarantee tests had been available in Canada in case of future COVID-19 waves or a rise in demand, mentioned Janveau.
While that reserve is no longer maintained, “provinces and territories have continued to obtain rapid tests from the federal stock upon request and whereas provides final,” he said.
Janveau didn’t say what number of tests have expired to date, or at what price.