OTTAWA – Shortly after Health Canada approved the first immediate antigenic for COVID-19, the federal government said more than 8. 5 million of them would reach the end of the year.
Abbott Rapid Diagnostics in Germany gave the green go-ahead through Health Canada on Tuesday to sell its immediate control of Panbio antigens in Canada, the first antigen-based COVID-19 tool to obtain such approval.
“Antigenic testing has some advantages, plus they are less difficult to perform with limited education and can be performed at the point of service with sometimes faster results,” Federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu said Tuesday at a briefing in Ottawa.
Antigens are molecules that express a safe virus that are outside the virus and cause an immune reaction when the framework detects them. Panbio’s checkup looks for the COVID-19 express antigen in samples taken from the back of the nose or throat.
Minister of Supply Anita Anand said Canada signed a contract with Abbott to download 8. 5 million Panbio tests through the end of the year and has an option for another $12 million until 2021. The government found that the evidence was useful in Canada.
All tests passed in the past through Health Canada are polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests that seek the presence of the virus’ genetic material. Most of these tests are done in a lab after taking a patient’s pattern. Canada has approved 3 immediate versions that can be analyzed on site and do not require laboratory.
This includes the Abbott Diagnostics ID Now in the United States, approved through Health Canada last week. The federal government has a contract to buy $7. 9 million. The first shipment is expected to arrive next week and 2. 5 million is expected until the end of December.
Health Canada will distribute the evidence to provinces and territories, based on an equitable distribution agreement that takes into account the wishes of the provinces.
Cepheid’s Health Canada GeneXpert last spring produces effects in less than an hour and has been deployed in small numbers in remote northern communities in Manitoba, Quebec and Nunavut.
Hyris’ BCube was approved in September, and the company says it is in talks with Canadian buyers in the public and personal sectors, and produces a result in about 90 minutes.
The deputy director of public health, Dr. Howard Njoo, said public aptitude rules will soon arrive about how antigen testing can be used in Canada, but that they are generally used to supplement blood tests. existing lab and update them.
A labor camp or meat packing plant where staff will have to undergo testing to avoid a major epidemic would be examples where they could be used, Njoo said. deployment test.
These tips mimic the recommendations made through the World Health Organization for antigenic testing in September. At the beginning of the pandemic, WHO warned that antigenic testing would not be used in outdoor study settings, but also issued rules for clinical use in September.
WHO also buys and distributes 120 million immediate antigen checks to low- and middle-income countries, and the Panbio check is among those it intends to purchase.
Conservative fitness critic Michelle Rempel said Tuesday that the Canadian government does not have a strategy to use immediate testing to alleviate long waits for testing and disruptions in people’s lives.
It is known when immediate testing will be used in Canada, but only that the first ID Now tests are scheduled to reach a Canadian warehouse from the United States next week.
ID Now checks were counted in the United States over the weekend when they revealed that they were being used in the White House to monitor staff almost daily, whether they have symptoms or not.
The White House is now that of a COVID-19 outbreak that has affected President Donald Trump, his wife Melania and several members of his staff.
Dr. Supriya Sharma, senior medical adviser to the deputy health minister, stated that in Canada, tests are approved for use in patients with COVID-19 symptoms and within the first seven days of the onset of symptoms.
He stated that Health Canada was confident in studies showing that ID Now tests should diagnose a positive case 92. 9% of the time and that negative effects are accurate more than 98% of the time.
Abbott says Panbio’s check is accurate with positive effects 93% of the time and negative effects 99% of the time.
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