Free rapid tests may be available in B.C. in the new year, health officials say

As provinces across Canada announce efforts to widely release rapid COVID-19 tests to their residents before the holidays, B.C. health officials say that kind of distribution won't be coming to the province until the new year.

Dr. Bonnie Henry discussed the tests during an afternoon COVID-19 update Tuesday alongside Health Minister Adrian Dix.

Henry explained health officials are waiting for a certain type of at-home rapid test kit before distributing them widely to the public. She said officials thought Canada would get those tests in November, but now they might not arrive until the new year.

Several provinces, including New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan, offer at-home testing kits to the general public for free. Free tests are expected to be distributed in Quebec and Alberta ahead of the holidays.

Henry explained the tests being offered in those provinces are different, saying B.C. is waiting to receive Roche's rapid antigen test. The ones being used in other provinces are made by BTNX, she said.

"There are different types of rapid antigen tests that are available. Many of them that we have are ones that require a health professional to take a swab and we've deployed those in areas where they're most useful," Henry said, adding that about 1.3 million of B.C.'s rapid tests are that kind and that they require a box to complete the test that can't be taken home. "We don't have the ones that Alberta is offering."

Rapid antigen tests offer on-the-spot COVID-19 results in less than 20 minutes. Public Health Agency of Canada data suggests there are about two million rapid tests provided by the federal government to B.C. that have not yet been distributed.

Henry said the tests are being used in B.C. for serial detection where an outbreak may have happened, like in a remote community, care home, university, correctional centre or shelter.

"We'll continue to expand the use of rapid tests where appropriate," Dix said.

"Rapid tests play a crucial role in our infection-control initiatives and our transmission-control initiatives against COVID-19 and they will continue to do so and with the supply of more effective tests, one that can be use at home, that role will continue to increase."

Dix said plans for a rollout of the tests will be released once they arrive in B.C., but they will be free.