Lisa Barrett is an infectious diseases expert from Dalhousie University. She’s administered a lot of COVID-19 rapid antigen tests.
Earlier this month, experts said Canada is “grossly underutilizing” the tests as the Omicron variant spreads and case counts rise.
In Nova Scotia, you can get free rapid tests at health centres, pop-up testing sites or libraries. It's a system that has “normalized” the idea of getting a test in the province, according to Barrett.
Other provinces like New Brunswick and Saskatchewan are also making the tests freely available. This week, Ontario started offering free rapid antigen tests at pop-up sites, including malls and libraries, as well as some liquor stores.
For people considering using the tests over the holidays, Barrett stresses that rapid tests are great for screening but aren’t a substitute for vaccination and other COVID safety protocols like distancing and masking.
In this example, Barrett uses an Abbott Panbido at-home rapid test, but there are other similar tests available.
She stresses there are a couple of points where people make mistakes. It’s important to lay the test cassette on a flat surface and use the appropriate number of drops for the test. This particular test has five dots for drops of fluid, and that is the exact number to use.
The other mistake is not swabbing long enough. It’s important to follow the recommendations on the package. Remember to do five full swirls along the inside edges of both nostrils and make sure to keep the swab at the right depth.
If you do test positive, Barrett says it’s time to get a PCR test to confirm the result. You should isolate while you wait for those PCR results to come back. If your rapid test does not show either one line (negative) or two (positive), consider the test invalid.
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