Anger, confusion as most British Columbians now don't qualify for COVID-19 testing
For the majority of the pandemic, the provincial health officer has advised British Columbians to get tested if they have COVID-19 symptoms. That message changed dramatically on Friday.
With COVID-19 now being treated more like other respiratory illnesses, most people don’t qualify for government-funded rapid antigen or PCR testing.
Rivka Ziskrout’s 12-year-old son, who has COVID-19 symptoms, received an at-home rapid test kit at the drive-thru testing site in North Vancouver on Wednesday, and was told to come back for another test 48 hours later. But by Friday, the criteria for who qualified for a test had changed, and he was turned away despite being symptomatic.
“He was provided a little handout that says who can get tested,” said Ziskrout.
Only the unvaccinated, the immunocompromised, and people who live or work in certain high-risk settings are eligible for PCR or rapid testing. Everyone else doesn’t qualify anymore, regardless of symptoms, and that includes most seniors and children.
“He was sent home. We don’t know. He still has symptoms,” said Ziskrout of her son.
“So now, as parents, we are left to speculate whether or not it is COVID, treat him as best we can and it raises a lot of concerns and a lot of anxiety.”
The rule change for testing eligibility came three days after Surrey opened its first dedicated rapid test kit distribution centre at Bear Creek Park. It has capacity to hand out 750 test kits per day, but now very few people qualify to book an appointment there.
“It’s been ripped away from us before it even started,” said Surrey Board of Trade president Anita Huberman. “The Bear Creek rapid test site just opened, and it was a way to keep each other safe. You know, when you have symptoms, you want to make sure what’s happening, whether or not you can go to work.”
While Dr. Bonnie Henry argues most symptomatic British Columbians don’t need COVID-19 tests because they should be staying home regardless and contact tracing has stopped, Huberman believes people have a right to know, and a right to access publicly funded testing.
“We want to know what’s happening with our body as an individual,” she said. “And if you’re an employer, you want to be able to indicate what type of action or interaction on the floor (is OK) if you’re a manufacturing facility (and) someone has COVID. Information is key to ensure productive, safe workplaces.”
Ziskrout agrees.
“We need that information and now we can’t have that at all,” she said.
Because she’s pregnant, she is isolating from her symptomatic, 12-year-old son.
“We don’t want to affect the baby, and now I don’t know, are we going overboard on that? Maybe nothing would have happened. Maybe it’s not COVID so it would have been fine,” she said. “It definitely would be nice to know.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Two killed after collision with truck on Hwy. 417 near Limoges, Ont.
Ontario Provincial Police say two people were killed after a car and a transport truck collided in the westbound lanes of Highway 417 near Limoges, Ont. on Tuesday afternoon.
Houston braces for flooding to worsen in wake of storms
High waters flooded neighborhoods around Houston on Saturday following heavy rains that have already resulted in crews rescuing hundreds of people from homes, rooftops and roads engulfed in murky water.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
‘We made them safer and more fun’: Here’s what’s new about e-scooters
Electric scooters (e-scooters) have been gaining popularity in the capital and this season comes with some changes and updates.
Hulk Hogan, hurricanes and a blockbuster recording: A week in review of the Trump hush money trial
Crucial witnesses took the stand in the second week of testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial, including a California lawyer who negotiated deals at the center of the case and a longtime adviser to the former president.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
Canadian Auger-Aliassime reaches first Masters final in Madrid with another walkover
Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime has advanced to his first ATP Masters final, and he hasn't had to play all that much tennis to do it.