Province restricts PCR testing to high-risk use; rapid antigen results not part of case counts
The province is moving away from testing all positive cases of COVID-19 with PCR tests even after a positive result from an at-home test which is worrying some Calgary doctors who say the province won't have accurate data.
However some infectious disease experts say there are ways the province can track infections and develop a public health response.
On Tuesday provincial leaders told reporters Alberta is not going to be able to do PCR testing to confirm all the positive cases that are expected with an omicron surge.
"The PCR tests that we are currently reporting as positive are just the tip of the iceberg," said Dr. Deena Hinshaw, chief medical officer of health for Alberta.
The province is reporting more than 15,000 active cases which is only a fraction of community cases in Alberta.
Alberta Health recommends those with complex medical history or workers in healthcare settings including staff or residents of long-term facilities should be given priority to provincial testing centres -- otherwise take a rapid antigen test and isolate if you have symptoms.
Dr. Hinshaw says results of at-home tests should be sent in to your family doctor if possible, though it will not be included in reported case counts.
This has some doctors concerned the province will not have reliable data for the fifth wave.
"(Without the) PCR tests, the government would not know how many cases to be had within the province and (COVID-19) will be spreading on buses, in malls and workplaces," said clinical physician Dr. Mukarram Zaidi who is also connected with the Protect Our Province medical advocacy group.
Dr. Zaidi says that government should have sufficient budgets to cover enough PCR testing capabilities, as private companies have.
Yet some infectious disease experts say the data from lab-confirmed tests that is being collected is enough for public health officials to respond to.
"In terms of kind of the public health response and even the hospital response I think that we still do have enough data to be able to put our plans in place and be ready for what we anticipate is going to be a busy time," Dr. Stephanie Smith infectious disease physician based in Edmonton.
WASTEWATER ANALYSIS HELPFUL
Wastewater analysis is another data collection tool used in Alberta with the Pan-Alberta Network for Wastewater-based SARS-CoV-2 Monitoring program.
Virus particles can be found in human waste and scientist can determine how much community infection there is.
One of the co-leads says the program has been highly accurate in previous waves and predict it will be the standard for detection going forward.
"What's great about wastewater is it's entirely objective. And it captures everybody that's contributing to that wastewater in an entire population. So that includes people with symptoms, and people without symptoms, and people who get tested and people who don't get tested," Dr. Michael Parkins who is also based out of the University of Calgary.
Drs Smith and Zaidi say Alberta's pandemic response needs to address documentation for individual cases, especially in severe cases where those who test positive with a rapid antigen test, are forced to miss long periods of work.
The concern is whether some insurance companies, workers compensation or disability programs will require the official confirmation from the province, or if there's a mechanism for the person's family doctor to submit that information after a rapid test.
Alberta's top doctor says the issue is being looked into.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING NEWS Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'