New COVID-19 test site at UBC offering rapid tests only as province hits its capacity for PCR tests

Vancouver Coastal Health says it has opened a new COVID-19 testing site on the University of British Columbia's Vancouver campus.

The move comes as B.C. health officials warn that the province's testing system has been overwhelmed by the Omicron variant and its approach to testing has changed as a result.

The new testing site is located at UBC's Life Sciences Centre at 2350 Health Sciences Mall, and will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week, the health authority says in a series of social media posts.

The site opened for the first time on Friday and is only distributing rapid antigen tests for people who have symptoms of COVID-19, reflecting a recent shift in the provincial testing strategy necessitated by Omicron.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said at a news conference Friday morning that B.C. is "in a different game" now when it comes to dealing with Omicron.

The province has reached its capacity for conducting PCR tests, Henry said, adding that B.C. would be prioritizing those tests for people at greater risk of complications from the virus, specifically those over age 65, those with weakened immune systems and people experiencing severe symptoms.

PCR tests are also being reserved for frontline health-care workers, who must have certainty that their symptoms are not COVID-19 in order to continue working in B.C.'s stretched health-care system.

In a news release Friday afternoon, Vancouver Coastal Health said that due to the winter weather expected to hit much of B.C.’s Lower Mainland over the weekend, starting Saturday those seeking a COVID-19 test at St. Vincent location will be temporarily diverted to the new UBC location.

“This is a precautionary measure to ensure the safe operations of testing services for both staff and people accessing care during the inclement weather,” the news release read.

There is no word yet on when testing will resume at the St. Vincent location.

Henry said Friday that while testing sites will administer rapid antigen tests, only people with symptoms of the coronavirus should be seeking them out.

She recommended that anyone who has any symptoms stay home and self-isolate for seven days if they are fully vaccinated or 10 days if they've had less than two doses of vaccine.

"If you are at all sick right now, even if you think it isn't COVID, even if you think it's just a mild cold or a flu, you need to take precautions and stay away from others," Henry said.