Ontario is aiming to increase the number COVID-19 rapid testing sites in the north.
Today, the province released its enhanced winter testing strategy as people head indoors. It includes expanding testing to select pharmacies, self-collection testing kits for students and a holiday mobile testing blitz.
For Northern Ontario, today's announcement aims to add up to 80 rapid PCR testing sites in select pharmacies and assessment centres.
The rapid diagnostic tests are for symptomatic people, those identified as close contacts of a confirmed case, and select high-risk groups.
Recently, parts of Northern Ontario have been hard-hit with new cases.
The health units in Greater Sudbury and Algoma have imposed stronger public health measures. The Timiskaming Health Unit warned today that it may do the same if cases in that region continue to spike as well.
Early in the pandemic, there were longer turnaround times for test results at northern public health units, especially in winter.
Since 2020, the province says it's increased the frequency of transportation on northern routes. Westjet has also been used to offer weekend service for bringing specimens to labs.
The province has also supported 124 northern sites with rapid PCR testing to help eliminate the need for transportation.
As of Nov. 15, 92 per cent of lab-based PCR tests in the north are available within two days, according to the province.
Once operational, pharmacy testing locations will be posted at Ontario.ca/covidtestinglocations.
The holiday testing pop-up sites will be announced in early December.
