P.E.I. looking at 'alternative strategies' to address high COVID-19 testing demand

Health P.E.I.'s chief nursing officer says the province is using new approaches to tackle the high demand for COVID-19 tests and is looking at coming up with more.

Marion Dowling said Monday the sustained surge in new cases has stretched resources at COVID-19 testing clinics and labs to the limit.

"We're getting to a point where we should start thinking about alternative strategies," she said.

P.E.I. announced 21 new cases Monday, bringing the active total to 89.

Some testing clinics had to shut their gates early due to high volumes over the weekend. Dowling said the province had to contact some distributors for additional testing supplies because of the demand for increased testing.

Islanders have also been experiencing long lineups at testing sites the last couple of weeks.

"We do feel for people who are waiting in line and waiting to be tested because we do know that people are quite anxious to get that done," Dowling said.

Additional staff have been helping deal with the surges, but Dowling said different factors limit the amount of tests that can be collected on a given day.

"There's also more work to do all of the completed lab testing and provide those completed results to the chief public health officer, so the increased number of confirmed cases also adds to the workload," she said.

A small, private health-care team that has run testing clinics outside P.E.I. is being used to help alleviate the issue. Dowling said if things go well, they could hire more third-party teams in the future.

A call for volunteers

Meanwhile, Access P.E.I. in Charlottetown was out of rapid testing kits on Monday. Schools will no longer be handing them out, as they're now closed for winter break.

Dowling said rapid tests will still be available. The Chief Public Health Office will decide how and when they will be given out.

A call has also gone out to government employees to volunteer to put those rapid testing kits together this week, so they can get as many of them as possible in the hands of Islanders for the holidays.