Amid concern over spread of the new Omicron COVID-19 variant in Canada, calls are growing for rapid antigen tests to be made more accessible, and to be used in more settings.
However, virologist Jason Kindrachuk says, while the tests are a 鈥済ood tool,鈥 they shouldn鈥檛 be seen as a replacement for the widely used polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests.
PCR tests are still considered the 鈥済old standard鈥 in Canada. But, because the samples from PRC tests must be sent to laboratories for processing, it can take a few days to receive results.
Kindrachuk, an assistant professor at the University of Manitoba who serves as the deputy of the coronavirus variants rapid response networks tier 2 focussing on molecular pathogenesis, told 麻豆影视 Channel that rapid antigen tests 鈥 which can provide on the spot results in around 20 minutes, are a good tool to have because they鈥檙e able to identify COVID-19 cases quickly.
鈥淐ertainly in those communities right now where there isn鈥檛 really any vaccine protection 鈥 certainly in younger age groups and in schools [where] we have concerns in regards to transmission 鈥 we need to be able to identify those cases very quickly,鈥 he said Thursday.
But, Kindrachuk said the new Omicron variant, first detected in South Africa, 鈥渢hrows a bit of a wrinkle at us.鈥
鈥淲e have to ensure that certainly all these rapid tests will still identify the Omicron variant,鈥 he said. 鈥淏ut we have to appreciate that the Delta [variant] is still circulating widely, and we need to be able to try and cut transmission chains as quickly as we can.鈥
Kindrachuk said early data out of Europe suggests that the majority of the rapid antigen tests have so far been able to detect the Omicron variant.
鈥淲e want to ensure that those are all validated, but that gives us an additional leg-up without having to produce new products to get out to market,鈥 he explained.
Kindrachuk said, when they are used in combination, rapid antigen tests and PCR tests give Canada 鈥渁n advantage.鈥
He said PCR tests are 鈥渉ighly sensitive鈥 to the coronavirus, and can help determine which variants are spreading across the country.
They also help to give a 鈥渂etter indication of whether or not we鈥檙e seeing say something like asymptomatic infection, as compared to the rapid test.鈥
鈥淏ut a rapid test give us a very, very good additional tool to be able to do that on-site screening and then still be able to follow-up with other testing,鈥 Kindrachuk said.
released by the federal government says that, as of Nov. 30, a total of 94,648,718 rapid antigen tests had been received by the country. Of those, a total of 79,746,088 had been shipped to the provinces and territories.
The data suggests that, as of Nov. 26, of the tests shipped to the provinces and territories, 58,082,137 had been distributed to the final point-of-care setting where they would be administered to a patient.
The government says, to date, 14,759,881 rapid tests have been reported as used.
Across the country, provinces have taken a number of differnt approaches when it comes to the rollout of rapid antigen tests. However, they have mostly been used in high-risk settings such as long-term care homes, other congregate living situations with seniors, or at schools and businesses.
Some people, though, are calling for a more widespread use of the tests, as some provinces face a surge in cases.
One Ontario pharmacist, Kristen Watt, says the rules need to be reassessed.
In a on Saturday, Watt said at her pharmacy, rapid tests sitting on the shelf are set to expire in February.
鈥淭hey were supplied to us by the federal government,鈥 she told 麻豆影视 Channel on Tuesday. 鈥淚 know they were purchase early on, they made it to pharmacies in the summertime.鈥
However, Watts said the only way the tests can be used is if they鈥檙e supplied to businesses who have applied and received an approval number.
鈥淯nfortunately, I have no way to provide these directly to people who are not part of a business,鈥 she said. 鈥淎nd I think it would be a great way to help curb the spread during holiday season.鈥
Watts said in the 鈥渋deal situation,鈥 she could bill tests to a person鈥檚 health card, so there would be 鈥渘o charge to the patient.鈥
鈥淚f we could bill these tests through health cards, maybe once a week a family could acquire a certain amount of tests in a period of time,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t would definitely help us understand the rates of community spread and keep people safer during the holidays.鈥
What鈥檚 more, Watts said at her pharmacy, she鈥檚 had an increase in demand for the rapid tests, saying they get questions 鈥渆very day鈥 from people looking to get their hands on a test for personal use.
鈥淯nfortunately, the tests that we have in pharmacies and not just these federally supplied tests, but all the tests that we have in pharmacies right now are only approved for use at point-of-care testing, which means that a healthcare worker, specifically in this case pharmacists, pharmacy students, pharmacy technicians, must be part of the administration of the test,鈥 Watts said.
鈥淲e need a bit of a shift in our mentality to approve these for self use,鈥 she said. 鈥淎nd then a move by the province to allow us to distribute them in that way.鈥
Currently in Ontario, those looking to get a rapid test could face a bill of around $40, a price that Watt said is not accessible for many.
Kyro Maseh is a pharmacist and the owner of Lawlor Pharmacy in Toronto.
He told CTV鈥檚 Your Morning on Friday that he has been advocating for the wide use of rapid antigen tests for more thana year.
Maseh said the tests are 鈥渆xtremely effective at catching the COVID virus early.鈥
鈥淏ut at the end of the day, it doesn鈥檛 really matter if the general public is not able to access these tests in a very timely fashion, then they lose their significance as a screening tool,鈥 he said.
Maseh said the tests need to be 鈥渁ccessible with no barriers鈥 for all Canadians.
鈥淚f there is any sort of confusion or any sort of barrier in providing these tests, then that鈥檚 a failure, plain and simple.鈥 he said.
On Thursday, the Ontario Science Table released a recommending rapid antigen tests be used for voluntary screen testing.
The advisory table , saying in areas where there are 35 or more weekly cases per 100,000 people, elementary students should be tested using rapid antigen tests once a week.
Dr. Fahad Razak is a member of the Ontario Science Table, and is an internal medicine physician at St. Michaels Hospital.
He told 麻豆影视 Channel that rapid antigen tests have an 鈥渋mportant role鈥 in this point in the pandemic.
鈥淭he evaluation that we did was based on the Delta variant, which is extremely infectious,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e know Omicron is probably even more infectious than Delta.鈥
He said the evaluation suggests that the rapid antigen tests are 鈥渧ery effective鈥 at screening asymptomatic individuals for the current version of the COVID-19 virus that is circulating.
鈥淪o this is a situation for example, in a school where you want to do regular surveillance, and they're really important to prevent wider outbreaks from occurring,鈥 he said.
Razak said the accuracy of the rapid antigen tests depends on the characteristic of the virus.
He said as the virus becomes more infectious, the tests actually work better.
However, Razak emphasized that the rapid antigen tests should be used for surveillance in asymptomatic people.
鈥淭his is for surveillance in a population where you're starting to get an increased spread, and you want to prevent those outbreaks from occurring,鈥 he said. 鈥淎nd with Delta, these tests seem to work extremely well in that kind of application.鈥
Razak said if you have COVID-19 symptoms you will still need to get a PCR test at a testing centre.
With a file from CTV's Chris Herhalt
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