Parents want more access to rapid testing in schools
Some parents are calling for rapid tests to be made readily available, and free to kids, to help avoid outbreaks in Ottawa's schools.
Stephen MacDonald has two kids in school, but that's not where they are this week.
“There have been a number of cohorts that are closed,” says MacDonald. “So two of my kids have had, on a rotating basis over the last few weeks, they’ve been home. Identified as high-risk contacts.”
His school, along with 17 others in the capital are dealing with COVID-19 outbreaks. Many are wondering why rapid tests are not flooding the school system.
"I’m left wondering why we don’t have it and why we don’t have access to it when so many other places are using this," says MacDonald. "They only just started vaccinating kids now, 5 to 11 now. And children under five aren’t vaccinated. And so if this is the unvaccinated segment of society, why is this tool not being applied and used for them. Why is it being reserved and handed out elsewhere."
NDP leader Andrea Horwath wants to see more access to the rapid tests.
"We can make the holidays safer for folks by providing rapid tests," says Horwath. "They are a tool that should be being used freely, and made available everywhere so anyone can get one whenever and whenever they need it."
The Ontario government insists they’ve used millions of rapid tests, but other provinces seem to have a more aggressive testing strategy. In Ontario, pharmacies charge $40 per test.
"These tests have been deployed across the province," says Health Minister Christine Elliot. "They’re not sitting in a warehouse. They are being used. They are available to people who need to receive them in assessment centres and pharmacies. In primary care. In work places. In congregate settings. Wherever they need them."
Premier Doug Ford says millions of tests are on the way to Ontario schools.
"We’re also giving 11 million kits, five packs to students to bring home," says Ford. "And so they can get tested, their family can get tested. We’re giving out about a million tests every single week."
MacDonald wonders why he’s never seen or used a rapid test; but is looking forward to using them, to help keep his family safe.
"They’re supposed to hand out some for the holiday period," says MacDonald. "But the government really needs to be handing out a lot more to a lot more people so that people have this as a tool."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Parliamentary report on Emergencies Act decision is 18 months past due — and counting
The erstwhile group of senators and MPs studying the federal government's invocation of the Emergencies Act over the "Freedom Convoy" was supposed to present its findings in December. December of 2022, that is.
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.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Quebec man who threatened Trudeau, Legault online sentenced to 20 months in jail
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
Black youth face multiple barriers in accessing mental health care, experts say
Black youth in Canada face multiple barriers in getting access to mental health services — and health-care providers can make the situation more difficult, experts say.
Bystander livestreams during Charlotte standoff show an ever-growing appetite for social media video
Saing Chhoeun was locked out of his Charlotte, N.C., home on Monday as law enforcement with high-powered rifles descended into his yard and garage, using a car as a shield as they were met with a shower of gunfire from the direction of his neighbor's house.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Israel has briefed U.S. on plan to evacuate Palestinian civilians ahead of potential Rafah operation
Israel this week briefed Biden administration officials on a plan to evacuate Palestinian civilians ahead of a potential operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah aimed at rooting out Hamas militants, according to U.S. officials familiar with the talks.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.