COVID testing (The Canadian Press)

By paNOW Staff

covid-19

Rapid COVID testing heading to Sask. schools

Mar 22, 2021 | 4:00 PM

The Government of Saskatchewan says K-12 schools across the province are currently being shipped 100,000 rapid test kits which could start being put to use later this week. The Health ministry says it will help monitor school environments but the opposition NDP says the government has been too slow with rapid testing and is sending mixed messages to the public as COVID-19 variants of concern increase.

“A rapid testing program in schools is another excellent tool to help monitor the presence of COVID-19,” Education Minister Dustin Duncan said in a media release Monday. “The safety of students, teachers, and school staff is our government’s priority, and school staff and students have done an excellent job in helping to prevent transmission of the virus.”

Teachers and school staff are not expected to administer the tests, the government said.

“Our goal is the health and safety of all Saskatchewan residents,” Health Minister Paul Merriman said in the release. “This additional measure gives us another tool to monitor school environments and take further steps to protect the health and safety of staff and students if necessary.”

The rapid antigen tests use a short nasal swab and can be administered by laypeople who have completed a training program through the Saskatchewan Health Authority lab. Schools will work with their local medical health officers to determine when testing is appropriate and will work with parents and caregivers to ensure consent is in place.

Riderville

Shades of 2007

Nov 15, 2024

Inflation

Rent inflation to slow in the next few years, Desjardins predicts

Nov 14, 2024

Election

Hawtin elected mayor in North Battleford; Battleford, Meadow Lake await results

Nov 14, 2024

A positive test requires confirmation by a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test provided by the Saskatchewan Health Authority. A negative test does not need to be confirmed as long as the individual has no symptoms of COVID-19.

Ministry explains delays

According to an email to paNOW from the Ministry of Education, all school divisions will be receiving tests. Local medical health officers will work with education sector officials to determine where testing should be prioritized.

According to the ministry, the deployment of rapid tests required regulatory amendments to The Medical Laboratory Licensing Regulations. This was needed so that locations where these point-of-care tests are deployed are not required to have a lab license, and so that trained individuals can use the tests, rather than just healthcare professionals.

The tests can be conducted by anyone who has been trained, whether school officials or local volunteers.

NDP criticism

Meanwhile, the opposition NDP criticized the response to the ongoing pandemic saying Premier Scott Moe has had several opportunities to act but amid the outbreak of variants “businesses are being told to stay open while their customers are being urged to stay home.

“He has chosen not to [act],” health critic Vicki Mowat said in a media release. “He did not bring in a circuit breaker in November to fight the second wave. And this month, despite knowing that variants of concern were set to cause serious problems in Regina, he chose to relax restrictions instead of taking targeted action to protect the people of Saskatchewan.”

Mowat said there has been no wide-spread rapid testing in schools, long-term care facilities, high-risk communities and workplaces.

Editor’s note: this story was amended late Monday afternoon to include comment from the Ministry of Education.

–

panews@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @princealbertnow