When David Frid of Gananoque, Ontario received a mandatory government-funded COVID-19 PCR test at Toronto’s Pearson Airport on Jan. 1, he said it seemed like a waste of money.
Frid thought there was little chance he would test positive as he had already tested negative after a pre-departure PCR test in Mexico before flying home. He also argues that since the Omicron variant has already spread across Canada, there is no point in testing travelers upon arrival.
“I can’t imagine how much money and resources they put into this,” said Frid, whose arrival test came back negative. “It’s a total waste.”
Some medical experts are also questioning Ottawa’s arrival testing program, arguing that these resources could be better used to combat the nascent Omicron variant on the home front, rather than testing thousands of travelers every day.
Currently, hospitalizations due to COVID-19 are reaching worrying levels in some provinces, and many symptomatic Canadians no longer have access to PCR testing.
Traveler David Frid, of Gananoque, Ontario, returned home from Mexico on January 1. He said it was a waste of money to get a Canadian government-funded COVID-19 PCR test upon his return. (submitted by David Frid)
“What’s really clear is that COVID is everywhere and that travel isn’t the main source of spread,” said Dr. David Carr, Professor of Emergency Medicine in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Toronto.
“Getting people to repeat their PCR [test] on arrival diverts resources where they could be better spent.”
The government is stepping up arrival tests
Before arriving in Canada, international travelers must pay for their own molecular (e.g. PCR) test and provide proof of a negative result.
The tests now in question are on top of that, on arrival. All unvaccinated travelers are required to take a PCR test upon arrival and those who are fully vaccinated are required to take one if randomly selected.
Last month the government began to intensify testing of fully vaccinated travelers to the point where it now has the capacity to test more than 20,000 arrivals daily.
Ottawa pays for all arrival tests and has yet to provide a statement of the cost of the program.
Though the Omicron variant is on the rise across Canada, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said Thursday the government will continue its commitment to mass testing.
“We have a responsibility to ensure that as few cases of COVID-19 and Omicron are imported across the border as possible,” he said at a news conference.
would agree. Given how much COVID there is in the community, the need for airport testing seems a bit ridiculous considering you could get it elsewhere. The state of the switch could be switched to managing pop-ups outbreaks, etc.
According to the latest government data, of the more than 104,596 vaccinated travelers tested after entering Canada in the week of December 19-25, just over two percent tested positive. Of the more than 19,154 unvaccinated travelers tested this week, three percent tested positive.
Meanwhile, omicron cases have been rising across Canada, which has caused the COVID-19 test positivity rate to surge over 20 percent in several provinces. In alberta and Manitoba, the rate has risen to near or above 40 percent.
The demand for COVID-19 PCR tests is so high many provinces have limited these tests to certain people, such as B. Healthcare workers and those at high risk who are symptomatic.
“It’s crazy to think you could get a PCR on a weekend trip to Florida [test], but if you have a cough, cold and fever and you’re 60 years old,” you may not qualify, Carr said.
“I would like to see the staff we use to identify travelers – as a screening tool – deployed and deployed to pop-ups and places where people with symptoms could be tested.”
CLOCK | Could Omicron be a tipping point in the pandemic?
COVID-19: Could Omicron be a tipping point for the pandemic?
Infectious disease specialists, Dr. Zain Chagla and Dr. Sumon Chakrabarti, answer questions about COVID-19, including whether the Omicron variant could represent a tipping point for the pandemic. 4:58
dr Sumon Chakrabarti, an infectious disease specialist at Trillium Health Partners in Mississauga, Ontario, also suggests the government should reallocate its resources on arrival testing. But instead of focusing on widespread testing domestically, he said the funds could be used for healthcare workers, vaccination campaigns and treatments for COVID-19.
“I think they have a lot more yield than border testing at the moment,” he said. “We just need to shift our perspective from knowing every case to protecting the people who are most at risk.”
When asked about the redistribution of arrival testing resources, Duclos replied that they were separate from federal resources made available to provinces to fight COVID-19. He also noted that Ottawa is increasing the number of rapid antigen tests it is shipping to the provinces, which can be used by those who don’t have access to PCR testing.
Abolish all PCR tests for travelers?
Carr suggested that instead of requiring international travelers to do two PCR tests, one 72 hours before arrival and one upon arrival, a more efficient use of resources might be to have a rapid antigen test done right before Boarding the flight.
Although PCR tests can be more accurate, antigen tests are much cheaper, don’t need to be sent to a lab, and can provide results in minutes. Travelers sometimes have to wait days for PCR test results.
“If we’re trying to make flying safer, I’d rather fly on a plane with people who’ve had a rapid test within the last 12 or 24 hours than a PCR in the last 72,” Carr said.
To enter the United Statespassengers only have to take one test – which can be a rapid antigen test – no more than one day before departure.
Last week, England has scrapped its pre-arrival COVID-19 testing requirement for fully vaccinated travelers and changed the rules so they only need to take a rapid test upon arrival.
Last month, Canada’s health agency told CBC News that it would not accept rapid antigen tests for travelers because they are less sensitive than molecular tests.
