Newfoundland and Labrador residents say they’re frustrated by the lack of free COVID-19 rapid tests when other provinces make them widely available at no cost.
Experts say rapid antigen tests are emerging as an important tool as Canada's pandemic strategy shifts from public health vigilance to an emphasis on personal responsibility.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Wednesday, January 12, 2022, he needs more information before he can say whether he supports Quebec’s anti-vaccination tax, as Ottawa struggled to make good on its promise to deliver COVID-19 rapid tests.
The rampant spread of the Omicron variant has stoked alarm across the border, where the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a fresh Level 4 "avoid travel" advisory for Canada, citing a "very high" level of COVID-19 in the country and urging anyone who must go to be fully vaccinated.
Canada’s health minister believes provinces and territories will likely discuss mandatory vaccine requirements in the coming weeks and months, he said Friday — a comment that came one day after federal Conservative Party Leader Erin O’Toole told media that “reasonable accommodations” should be made for unvaccinated Canadians.
Saskatchewan residents are swimming in COVID tests, leading some residents to send them to family members in other provinces where the tests aren't available.
Federal officials are adding more COVID-19 rapid tests to Canada's arsenal as surging infections from the Omicron variant push some public sectors to the brink.
Despite the fact that South Africa raised the alarm about the highly transmissible variant nearly one month ago, local public health agencies have found themselves unable to provide tests for the high number of suspected COVID-19 cases in their areas.