Calls for province to prioritize rapid tests for northern Ontario
Despite high COVID-19 case counts, there are no holiday pop-up rapid test kit sites in the northeast this week
It took mere hours for the LCBO in Sudbury's south end to run out of rapid COVID-19 antigen tests on Friday. The location is the only site where the province delivered tests in Sudbury, and one of only three in northeastern Ontario. And the Sudbury LCBO confirmed Sunday it won't be getting any more supply.
The Ministry of Health is instead sending people to its on-line rapid antigen holiday pop-up schedule.
However that list shows only one northern Ontario location, and that's in Thunder Bay on Christmas Eve.
That's not sitting well with Nickel Belt MPP and opposition health critic France Gelinas, who notes that Sudbury-Manitoulin continues to be a provincial hotspot for COVID-19.
"If you have a limited amount for now, where would those tests do the most good. They will do the most good where the virus is very present in the community," said Nickel Belt MPP and opposition health critic France Gélinas.
Gélinas is calling on the province to provide more tests to northern Ontario, and to prioritize areas that are hardest hit by COVID-19.
"We have a lot of big families in Nickel Belt. We have a lot of big families who get together for Christmas. If they knew that they were positive for the virus there is no way they would go see grandma," Gélinas said.
"But right now none of this is available to us. And this is a tool that would be really helpful especially in the Christmas holidays."
Northern Ontario not prioritized
Alain Simard said his initial reaction to the announcement last week that the province would be providing free rapid tests to Ontarians was celebration.
It goes to show how a lot of the decisions are centric on the Toronto area.— Alain Simard
"I told myself 'finally.' Because this is going to be an incredibly powerful tool that could really help us change the course of the pandemic," said Simard, who is an immunologist and an associate professor at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM).
But Simard said his enthusiasm was soon dampened, when he learned only about two million tests would be available, and that they're mostly being distributed in southern Ontario.
"Once again it goes to show how a lot of the decisions are centric on the Toronto area, and not northern Ontario," Simard said.
Like Gélinas, Simard agrees that the hardest hit areas should have been prioritized. He also has concerns about the distribution model right across the province favouring those who are most privileged, and those in urban areas.
"You need to be able to get to the LCBO, to be able to first even have a shot at getting access to one of these tests, so that eliminates a lot of people right away," Simard said.
CBC sent an interview request to the Ministry of Health and asked why northern Ontario was not prioritized for rapid tests. In a written statement sent Saturday afternoon, the Ministry would only say that individuals can visit their website to find out of pop-up antigen screening sites will be available in their area.
It did note that tests were also available at LCBO locations in Sault Ste Marie, and North Bay on Friday, but like the LCBO in Sudbury, they ran out of supply almost immediately, and won't be getting any more.