'One test is quite sufficient,' Ont. doctor weighs in on rapid testing for low-risk settings
The Easter long weekend is winding down after many families gathered to celebrate the holiday, with many opting to take a COVID-19 rapid antigen test before mingling.
Dr. Sohail Gandhi said although the tests are not as effective as PCR testing, they are a useful way to gauge if someone is COVID positive.
"There's been a lot of talk about whether one test is sufficient or not. I think for most gatherings, one test is quite sufficient," said Dr. Gandhi.
The Stayner physician said tests could be used in low-risk settings, but it is reasonable to test more than once before entering a high-risk setting, such as long-term care homes.
"You might want to let the rapid antigen have a little more time to work. Wait for 15 minutes and not two minutes as it was initially suggested to see what the result is like," he noted via Skype.
For those who don't have rapid antigen tests, Dr. Gandhi advised staying home when not feeling well to monitor symptoms.
Last week, a COVID-19 testing device that identifies chemical components in breath samples received emergency use permission from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
According to the FDA, the breathalyzer test takes less than three minutes for results and can be administered by a certified, trained operator under the supervision of a health-care physician who is licenced or permitted by state law to prescribe tests.
Dr. Gandhi said the new technology sounded promising, and the data provided appeared to be effective in identifying COVID-19.
However, he said before it arrives in Canada, he would like to see additional domestic testing.
"It really needs to go through a proper vetting process through Health Canada before we can use it in a more widespread manner." Something Dr. Gandhi estimated could take between six to five months.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Parents of infant who died in wrong-way crash on Ontario's Hwy. 401 were in same vehicle
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit has released new details about a wrong-way collision in Whitby on Monday night that claimed the lives of four people.
Three Quebec men from same family father hundreds of children
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
B.C. mayor stripped of budget, barred from committees over Indigenous residential schools book
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
OPP's mandatory alcohol screening during traffic stops 'not acceptable': CCLA
A spike in impaired driving-related collisions has caused Ontario’s provincial police to begin enforcing mandatory alcohol screening (MAS) at all traffic stops in the Greater Toronto Area -- a move one civil rights group says is ‘not acceptable.’
Maple Leafs down Bruins 2-1 to force Game 7
William Nylander scored twice and Joseph Woll made 22 saves as the Toronto Maple Leafs downed the Boston Bruins 2-1 on Thursday to force Game 7 in their first-round series.
Jurors in Trump hush money trial hear recording of pivotal call on plan to buy affair story
Jurors in the hush money trial of Donald Trump heard a recording Thursday of him discussing with his then-lawyer and personal fixer a plan to purchase the silence of a Playboy model who has said she had an affair with the former president.
Southern Alberta store broken into by burly black bear
Staff at a small southern Alberta office supply store were shocked to find someone had broken into the business last week, but they were even more confused when they discovered the culprit was a bear.
Captain sentenced to 4 years for criminal negligence in fiery deaths of 34 aboard scuba boat
A federal judge on Thursday sentenced a scuba dive boat captain to four years in custody and three years supervised release for criminal negligence after 34 people died in a fire aboard the vessel.
New scam targets Canada Carbon Rebate recipients
Fake text message and email campaigns trying to get money and information out of unsuspecting Canadian taxpayers have started circulating, just months after the federal government rebranded the carbon tax rebate the Canada Carbon Rebate.