Why some sick people in Waterloo region won't be tested for COVID-19
Testing people with mild symptoms doesn't change how they're treated, Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang says
People who have a fever, chills and muscle aches won't necessarily be tested for the coronavirus in Waterloo region.
New testing protocols were rolled out by the province late last week, and Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang, the region's acting medical officer of health, says it means people with mild symptoms who are suspected to have COVID-19 won't be tested.
"We do not have an unlimited supply of test kits," Wang said. "We need to proactively prioritize these test kits for people that are either going to be more sick and will be treated in hospital or that care for people that are more vulnerable, such as healthcare workers, long-term care workers."
Wang said if someone is in the hospital and is ill, knowing they have COVID-19 means how that patient is treated may change.
"We need to know the test results in order to be able to manage their care appropriately," she said.
A health care worker who may have symptoms but tests negative could continue to work, she added.
"For most cases, it's going to be mild or milder, and they're going to be able to recover at home," Wang said.
"We don't have enough swabs to test all the mild cases in the community, and it doesn't change the course of what we do with them. In other words, we're going to still ask them to stay at home and self isolate and only return to work or school after it's been 24 hours since they've had no symptoms."
'We need to shift our focus'
Currently in Waterloo region, there are eight lab-confirmed cases of the coronavirus. Of that, two people are in the hospital, but both are in stable condition.
In those cases, Wang says they know the people either knew a person who also had COVID-19 or had travelled from the same area as other cases.
Wang said there's no evidence the virus is spreading in the community yet, but she anticipates it will happen.
"That is coming," she said. "We're starting to see that in other areas of Ontario and Canada. So we need you to prepare. So that's why we need to shift our focus."
As of Monday morning, there were an additional 32 cases of COVID-19 in the province, including a case involving a man from Orangeville. There were a total of 177 cases in Ontario as of Monday afternoon, five of which have seen patients recover and no longer show symptoms.