Help! We Need Some Logic, Please?

February 25, 2021 Marsha Mowers

Dr. Irfan Dhalla, co-chair of the federal government’s COVID-19 Testing and Screening Expert Advisory Panel, told Power & Politics host Vassy Kapelos earlier this month that rapid tests can be effective tools for screening people in the workplace and in schools, allowing communities to begin to return to a normal.

“We should be using every tool we have in our toolbox at this point in the pandemic to keep Canadians safe,” he told CBC.

So why aren’t we?

We ask people to get tested before they come to Canada. We ask people coming by air and some coming by land to test after they get here. But what about rapid tests? The technology exists. We have millions of them. And they’re proven to be about 75% effective in asymptomatic cases, closer to 98% effective in those with symptoms.

A report announced earlier this month found that Ontario has used only 18.5% of the tests while Quebec had used less than one per cent! PEI has used the most of their allotment and they’re only at a measly 25%.

Last week, the federal government enacted a mandatory hotel quarantine for all travelers to Canada, which could last three days. But the rules apply only to air travelers, as the government said it’s not feasible to quarantine at all of the country’s 117 land crossings, some of which are in remote areas. Those crossing by land are required to show a negative test taken with 72 hours, as are air travellers.

Starting this week, those coming into Canada at five border crossings (more are coming soon) also are being tested at the border. People who come into Canada by land also are given a home kit so they can send in a test result on day 10 of their 14-day quarantine.

Testing is a crucial tool in the fight against the spread of the virus.  But in travel, we don’t test everyone – essential workers are exempt, for example, and the CBSA says 74% of travelers fall into this category.

After one year of not having large family gatherings, losing livelihoods, and in our case, decimating the travel industry, shouldn’t there be a better way?

According to the McMaster study done in the fall of 2020, testing at the source is effective.  We have the technology to send someone home with a test kit. We have millions of rapid tests available. Let’s use them.

Travel accounts for so very little of overall cases, it’s still hovering around 1.8% of cases in Canada; there really shouldn’t be many “gotcha” moments with this protocol.

One company, Switch Health, has the contracts for the Ontario government’s Pearson International Airport pilot testing program and provides the home test kits for the federal mandatory quarantine program.  They also hand the home kit to each traveler at the land border.

Testing protocols for air travelers could be done the way they currently are at land crossings.  A negative pre-travel test, testing on arrival and then the home test 10 days later, eliminating the need for a mandatory hotel stay.

There are other companies that are Health Canada approved tests such as FH Health. Located in Toronto, they operate similar to Switch Health in that they provide PCR tests and offer mobile testing for groups. FH Health can provide results on the same day of a test.

Switch Health told Canadian Travel News that their goal is to eventually bring the home test to market. Meaning affordable, accessible and easy-to-use tests would be available for everyone. Imagine that you could take an easy test and be allowed to see your family. Or imagine that companies that are prone to outbreaks could purchase them in bulk and keep their employees – and the rest of us – safe.

Switch Health’s factories are currently operating full capacity fulfilling the government’s order for the tests.  If only our government had invested in companies to help increase production of tests (and vaccines, but that’s another matter) rather than the $2.5 million recently invested into “wearable contact traceable bracelets,” for example.

COVID doesn’t just magically appear, it is spread from contact with someone who has it – knowingly or unknowingly. Providing easily accessible testing is what experts have said is a big key to controlling this virus.

With safety and testing protocols and technology we already have, the travel industry should be able to safely resume. We just need a little logic.  

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