Key takeaways:
- The region has not failed control of the pandemic, strategic medical advisor states.
- PCR tests will be booked for those in high-risk settings such as hospitals, long-term care houses, prisons and homeless shelters as well as northern and small communities.
PCR tests are now only for people with high risks:
Encountered with tens of thousands of individuals pursuing PCR tests daily and a dwindling amount of screening supplies, Quebec public health is placing a stop to testing the general public for the coronavirus.
PCR tests will be booked for those in high-risk settings such as hospitals, long-term care homes, detention centres and homeless shelters, a senior strategic advisor to Quebec public health stated during a specialised briefing Tuesday.
Northern and small communities will also be given preference, stated Dr Marie-France Raynault.
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“If you are not in a position where there is an active outbreak or in an environment at risk, the general population, for all practical purposes, will not have access to PCR tested.”We are absolutely overwhelmed by the Omicron wave.” Source – cbc.ca
Almost 47,000 individuals experienced a PCR test in Quebec on Tuesday alone, a rate that laboratories and personnel cannot maintain.
“We have a capacity of approximately 30,000 tests a day, and last week, for example, we had nearly 60,000 tests per day and it’s unsustainable,” stated Raynault. Quebec public health is urging individuals to utilise quick tests when feasible, and if not, to separate if they are showing symptoms of COVID-19. Source – cbc.ca
