Windsor medical officer of health sees 'limited role' for rapid testing in schools
CBC
With hundreds of students dismissed over COVID-19 exposures so far this year in Windsor-Essex — and three school shutdowns — the acting medical officer of health says he's considering all options to manage COVID-19, but says rapid testing in schools is only appropriate in some situations.
Dr. Shanker Nesathurai, acting medical officer of health, said he has not made any "firm decisions" regarding a new rapid antigen testing program announced by the provincial government this week.
"Testing, especially testing of asymptomatic people, has a very limited role in the management of the pandemic," he told reporters in a virtual briefing on Wednesday.
Screening asymptomatic people is likely to result in false positives, he said, which can be "a significant problem from a public health point of view," he said.
The screening program was announced by Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore on Tuesday.
Moore called the tests "another tool in the tool chest" when it comes to curbing school-related cases and outbreaks and keeping students in class. Local public health units will have discretion in requesting the tests, he said.
Under the program, tests will only be provided on an optional basis to unvaccinated, asymptomatic children who are not considered high-risk contacts of a positive COVID-19 case, Moore said. In Ontario, children 11 and under are not yet eligible to be vaccinated against the novel coronavirus.