B.C. residents no longer required to report COVID-19 rapid test results

People in B.C. who tested positive for COVID-19 using at-home rapid antigen tests can no longer report their results to the province’s centre for disease control.

“Reporting COVID-19 test results through the online COVID Positive Test Result Reporting Form is no longer required,” according to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) website.

In a statement to CTV News Vancouver, a spokesperson says the move comes as “B.C. has shifted to supporting self-management of COVID-19 infection, due to high vaccination rates.”

Free rapid tests became available to all adults in British Columbia less than two weeks ago, on March 23, bringing an end to an age-based rollout that gave access to the oldest people in the province first.

Daily updates on case counts from the Ministry of Health only include positive results on PCR tests, which most people experiencing symptoms have not been eligible for since late December when a surge in infections overwhelmed testing capacity.

The number of people who have reported positive results online through the BCCDC is not included in these updates, and is not immediately available to the public.

“The online tool is being transitioned to a maintenance phase and it can be scaled-up again if required,” the statement from the BCCDC continues.

“The online tool webpage will continue to have information for citizens on how to access treatment and how to manage COVID-19. The Ministry of Health and the BCCDC continue to monitor key pandemic measures and provide regular updates to the public.”

A briefing from provincial officials is set for Tuesday, and plans for a second booster dose and an end to remaining restrictions are expected to be announced.

The number of new infections confirmed in the province has been trending upward in the last two weeks, raising concerns about the possibility of an incoming sixth wave.

On Friday, Canada's Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam said the country is in the midst of a "resurgence" of COVID-19, driven by the BA.2 sub-variant of the Omicron strain.

The resurgence is not unexpected, given the recent removal of nearly all public health restrictions in most provinces, Tam said, adding that she recommends people continue wearing masks and maintaining layers of protection against the coronavirus.

Federal health officials expect that the current increase in transmission will be "manageable" for provincial health-care systems without the need for restrictive new public health measures, but they also recommend that anyone who has not received a booster shot of a COVID-19 vaccine do so.

With files from CTV News Vancouver's Ian Holliday