Plans for expanding use of COVID-19 rapid tests in B.C. coming Tuesday, health ministry says
CBC
B.C.'s Ministry of Health says it will unveil plans on Tuesday to further utilize rapid antigen tests in the province as case numbers of COVID-19 rise.
The plans will detail "how we will enhance our strategy by using more self-tests," a ministry spokesperson said in an email on Sunday.
The ministry said work is currently underway to convert rapid tests the province has into self-tests for use at home. It is also expecting a supply of home tests from the federal government by the middle of January.
The province has faced calls to widely distribute the tests, which can be used at home and provide results in minutes, over the course of the pandemic,and more acutely in the past week with the growing spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant.
Many advocates, opposition MPs and residents want the tests to be made freely available as another layer of protection against the spread of COVID-19 in the province, which to date has claimed the lives of 2,399 people.
Some other provinces and other jurisdictions around the world offer free rapid tests for anyone who wants them as a way to help limit the spread of infections. Currently the only way for most people in B.C. to get the tests is to buy them online.
B.C. health officials announced 789 new cases of COVID-19 and three more deaths on Friday, as the Omicron variant continues to drive a spike in cases.
They said 302 cases of the new variant have been identified in B.C., up from 135 on Thursday.
Long lineups were reported at testing sites across the Lower Mainland over the weekend.
The province said on Sunday that its rapid testing strategy is expanding, as is polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, which is seen as the gold standard test to confirm or rule out an infection.
Roughly 20,600 PCR tests are being conducted a day currently, according to a ministry official.
As of Dec. 17, the federal government's website showed it had sent nearly 3.4 million rapid tests to B.C., though only about 326,000 had been reported as being used — about 10 per cent.
The provincial Ministry of Health said over the course of the pandemic more than 550,000 rapid tests have been used in B.C., with 35,000 now being used every week.
It said on Sunday that it is working with the federal government to access the province's share of rapid tests that have been procured by Ottawa.
One of two pilots killed in a plane crash at New York's LaGuardia Airport Sunday earned his wings at an Ontario college, CBC News has learned.
Air Canada passengers who were aboard Flight 8646 when the CRJ-900 aircraft struck a fire truck upon landing at New York's LaGuardia Airport on Sunday evening say the collision was sudden and forceful, and they may owe their lives to the pilots who died in the incident.
Cardiac services are set to expand at a Winnipeg hospital once regarded as one of the best in Canada for heart care.
A 26-second TikTok video has ignited a larger conversation about vulnerable populations, theft and content creation.
Some family doctors and emergency room physicians working in Edmonton hospitals warn that an April 1 end to stipend pay arrangements could put patient care at risk and increase suffering.
An Auditor General of Canada report has found that B.C. saw drastically fewer international students than was forecast ever since wide-ranging federal immigration cuts began in 2024.
Six years after e-learning became a mandatory requirement to get an Ontario high school diploma, students don't appear to be taking online school to diversify their course selection as the province had intended, according to a CBC News analysis of provincial enrolment data.
Sarnia City Council will hold a special meeting Tuesday morning to respond to social media comments made by Coun. Bill Dennis, who criticized city spending on a new mural by Indigenous artist Kennady Osborne as “virtue signalling by woke politicians” — then made a series of comments in response to a reply from Aamjiwnaang Chief Janelle Nahmabin that some have characterized as unprofessional and aggressive.
While many Albertans continue to feel the pinch at the pump, Premier Danielle Smith says the government is not considering any fuel tax breaks, as it does not believe it will make much of a difference.
WARNING: This story contains disturbing details about gruesome deaths and sexual abuse.
Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) says they will take part in the federal government's buyback program for assault-style rifles this year, but a local member of parliament says she "can't get behind this decision."
The use of American contracts and services is down by nearly half on Prince Edward Island following tariffs and shaky trade relations under the Donald Trump administration.
The first set of deadlines included in the energy and climate deal struck between Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith are not expected to be met, showing early challenges with the agreement that includes pursuing a new export pipeline from Alberta to the West Coast.