critics fear end of covid rapid test program will create new barriers for some ontario residents
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a positive result for an at home covid-19 rapid test is shown near calgary on friday, january 14, 2022. the province says the end of the rapid test program represents a shift to pcr testing — tests that produce results confirmed in a lab and take longer.
jim wells/postmedia
most ontario residents will have to pay for covid testing if infections surge again this fall as expected, and some officials worry that even those who qualify for free testing and treatment could face new barriers as the province ends its free rapid antigen test program.
the program, which placed 140 million rapid antigen tests (rats) in grocery stores, pharmacies and elsewhere around the province during the pandemic, is winding down as of the end of this month. the tests, which can be done at home, offer results in minutes.
in a memo to retailers and other distributors of the tests, provincial officials said the program played a pivotal role in the province’s covid response when infection volumes were at their peak “and extensive access to testing was essential to stopping its spread.”
the decision to end the program as of june 30 was made as demand is decreasing and there are lower rates of covid-19 in the province, plus high vaccination rates among the population, provincial officials say.
long-term care homes and other high-priority locations and individuals will continue to have access to the rapid tests, as will public health units — while supplies last.
but the province says the end of the rat program represents a shift to pcr testing — tests that produce results confirmed in a lab and take longer. tests can be conducted at pharmacies.
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that could create barriers and delays for people, even those who qualify for anti-viral treatment for covid-19, says the organization that represents pharmacists in the province.
that is especially crucial because there is a narrow window during which paxlovid, the common anti-viral treatment for covid-19, is most effective, said jen belcher, a pharmacist who is vice-president of strategic initiatives and member relations with the ontario pharmacists association.
“if the patient is approaching the end of their time window for paxlovid initiation, delays in testing could leave some patients who would otherwise qualify for therapy ineligible due to the requirement that paxlovid be initiated within five days of symptom onset,” said belcher.
because patients should receive the anti-viral treatment within five days of the onset of symptoms, timing can be crucial, said belcher, as the treatment prevents severe illness. earlier in the pandemic, many people who were at risk for severe outcomes were unable to access paxlovid because of delays in getting assessments and testing.
she also said the cost of purchasing test kits for those who don’t qualify for free testing or treatment could be prohibitive “or very challenging for our most socio-economically vulnerable patients, leaving them with fewer choices for testing and therefore potential access barriers.”
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people over 60 or anyone at higher risk of poor outcomes from covid because of immune compromise or other reasons qualify for treatment with paxlovid and free pcr tests. health workers, staff, volunteers and inpatients at hospitals also qualify.
although there have continued to be covid deaths and outbreaks in ottawa, transmission has been low in recent weeks. but ottawa’s medical officer of health vera etches and other experts have been imploring people to remember that covid has not gone away and that more cases are expected in the fall.
etches told ottawa’s board of health meeting last week that she expects this fall’s season of viral illnesses, including covid, to be similar to last year’s, which saw high levels of sickness.
the ndp’s health critic france gélinas said she is also concerned about what the end of the rapid test program means for people who want to know if they are infected with covid-19 in order to protect others. those are the people, she said, who have relied on frequent rapid testing in the past. they include family members of the elderly or compromised, those trying to protect vulnerable children and those who work with children.
“there are still a lot of vulnerable people who need to be supported. but, in order to see them, they use rapid tests before they go. they don’t want them to be isolated, but they also don’t want to bring covid. they are big users of the testing right now, for the right reasons.”
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she said she doesn’t necessarily want to see boxes of free rapid tests continue to be available at pharmacies and grocery stores, as they have been, but she would like to see public health units have control over them.
“this isn’t the way to do things. you are talking about people who want to do good and protect people. make that easy,” she said.
in a statement, ottawa public health said health units are being asked to make rapid antigen tests available to their local communities “while provincial supplies last and prior to their expiry” this fall.
it is not clear how many supplies remain in the province or how many tests health units will have access to.
people who have symptoms and are at high risk of severe covid-19 are asked by ottawa public health to seek testing and care immediately by either contacting a local pharmacy or primary care provider.
it is unclear, though, whether, physicians or other primary care providers will continue to have access to rapid tests as they have had in the past. the ontario medical association says it is in discussions with the ministry about the issue.
for more information: www.ontario.ca/page/covid-19-testing-and-treatment#section-5
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