The immediate tests recently approved will be imperative for the government to curb the buildup of novel coronaviruses in Canada, the country’s deputy director of public fitness, Dr. Howard Njoo, said Tuesday.
The new Panbio COVID-19 Antigen immediate test, the first of its kind to be authorized in Canada, can be analyzed without further devices or laboratory and can produce effects in 20 minutes.
While it would probably not be as accurate as checking PCR’s real-time “gold standard,” which is performed in medical laboratories, Njoo said it can complement a comprehensive verification strategy and allow fitness staff to “save PCR verification for those where they have other people in poor physical condition and want to make the right diagnosis. “
The antigen tests the paints by detecting proteins discovered on the surface of the virus, unlike the virus itself.
Remote paint sites and overcrowded paint sites, such as meat packaging services, will gain advantages from antigen testing, Njoo said, adding that it would make it less difficult to identify asymptomatic carriers of the virus and locate contact with those who do. may have been exposed.
“There are many other opportunities in some epidemic contexts where you want to at least take swift action on public health,” he said.
“You can also use immediate antigen testing to temporarily identify those who may have been exposed and who would possibly be inflamed with the virus. “
Anita Anand, Minister of Public Services and Public Procurement, also announced on Tuesday that Canada signed an agreement to purchase up to 20. 5 million antigen tests.
To date, the Canadian government has approved 3 other manufacturers that have effectively developed an immediate point of service for COVID-19.
At aArray Utilities and Supply Canada, he said this included Abbott Rapid Diagnostics, which will provide up to 7. 9 million immediate ID NOW checks in addition to Panbio’s rapid COVID-19 antigen tests. Medico will supply “up to 1. 2 million immediate GeneXpert checks,” he said.
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“In addition, the federal government has purchased enough swabs, reagents and other fabrics to conduct 200,000 tests a day in Canada for at least the rest of the year,” Anand said, adding that the country is on track to acquire faster evidence. the next few weeks.
The Minister of Purchasing stated that point-of-service testing is a solution to persistent demand situations facing the government to strengthen the ability of laboratories to process the number of samples in development and avoid arrears.
“Testing is a key pillar of Canada’s reaction to COVID-19, so Health Canada has prioritized reviewing all types of COVID-19 tests. These antigen tests will have a role to play in preventing giant cluster outbreaks, when effects are temporarily needed to prevent further spread of the virus,” Anand said.
The news comes at a time when Canada is suffering an increasing number of cases, and several regions are already experiencing a wave of viruses.
The Director of Public Health, Dr. Theresa Tam, said Tuesday that about 71,000 more people have recently been reviewed in Canada every day, of which 2. 5% of the population is positive.
On average, it reported that 1,951 new cases were reported in the last seven days, noting an “growing trend” in the number of other people hospitalized as a result of COVID-19. Tam said an average of 613 other people were hospitalized due to the virus on any day last week, with 16 reported deaths
On Monday, he said 80% of the new ones came here from Quebec and Ontario, the two provinces most affected by the pandemic.
In Turonto, one of Ontario’s most densely populated cities, Njoo showed that more than 10% of the tests tested positive in some pockets, indicating the best levels of transmission on the network.
Health Minister Patty Hajdu and Njoo described the figure as “alarming” and the deputy director of public aptitude said the government of public aptitude will have to take “all mandatory measures” to increase tactile search, identify high-risk conditions, and decrease transmission.
“It’s very alarming, ” said Hajdu.
“Of course, the report focuses on Toronto’s express neighborhoods, but we know that other people don’t just stay in their neighborhood. People move and bring the virus with them. “