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British Columbia will provide more COVID-19 rapid tests this week as the Omicron variant wanes and the province moves to a pandemic strategy based on individuals assessing their own risks.
Those 70 and older will be able to pick up their first free package of five test kits from a number of pharmacies as soon as Friday. They will be entitled to another kit every four weeks.
As supplies increase, the government will expand the program based on age, officials said Wednesday.
Health Minister Adrian Dix said the new approach “will particularly assist those who are most vulnerable to get a test.”
Dix said B.C. will receive three million tests each week for the next four weeks for a total of 12 million tests, 865,000 of which will be distributed to pharmacies. The province has distributed about 14.8 million tests to date.
Rapid antigen tests measure a person’s viral load and are much less sensitive than PCR tests, which require lab analysis.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said people should use the tests when they’re experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or before going to visit an older friend or family member.
“This is something that people can use to help manage their own risk around them,” she said
A negative rapid antigen test result doesn’t mean people should engage in risky behaviour, she said, but a positive result is a red light calling for caution.
“They are a tool in our toolkit,” said Henry, who said they will help B.C. transition to a “sustainable” COVID-19 management strategy outlined last week.
While other provinces like Alberta and Ontario began distributing test kits to the public in December, British Columbia focused rapid tests on high-risk settings like long-term care, places with COVID outbreaks and essential workplaces.
Rapid tests also began to be distributed to students, staff and teachers in K-to-12 schools and post-secondaries earlier this month.
Some experts criticized the province’s earlier decison to limit tests.
Henry said wastewater surveillance to detect the spread of the virus will be increased.
But rapid tests will help the public assess their own individual risk more carefully.
Dix said the province’s approach will “prioritize the people most at risk.” ![[Tyee]](/design-article.thetyee.ca/ui/img/yellowblob.png){kind=small}
Read more: Coronavirus, BC Politics
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