Laboratories across Canada have conducted more than 970,000 COVID-19 tests by Thursday but the number of daily tests still falls short of the target the country’s chief public health officer had set as a condition for the safe and gradual easing of coronavirus restrictions.
Dr. Theresa Tam said 30,000 tests were done across Canada over the last 24 hours, with an average of about 28,000 tests over the last week. About 6 per cent of the tests have come back positive for the virus, she added.
Tam has previously said she would like to see about 60,000 tests a day. So far, the most done in a day is 42,000 on Apr. 30.
Tam said the number of tests being completed is critical as provinces begin to reopen their economies and the spread of the virus in Canada continues to slow.
Being able to test suspected cases and then trace all their contacts to prevent another spike in cases is fundamental to Canada’s learning to live with COVID-19, Tam said.
Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam speaks during a technical briefing, Tuesday, Apr. 28, 2020 in Ottawa. (Adrian Wyld/THE CANADIAN PRESS)
It is also important to increase the number of tests beyond the groups that have been targeted so far because of the shortage of testing capabilities.
Until recently, public health officials have tested mostly people with specific symptoms, international travellers returning from high risk situations such as cruise ship outbreaks, long-term care workers and health professionals.
But to detect cases of community transmissions provinces need to be able to test more people in wider categories, Tam said.
Tam said more provinces are expanding their testing criteria, including to people with wider ranging symptoms, or very mild symptoms, as everyone begins to move towards the new normal of “living with COVID-19.”
“For sure that many jurisdictions now are opening up clinics where people with even mild symptoms can get tested, so that is definitely happening,” Tam said.
She also stressed that because this virus is being spread by people who have no symptoms, reopening schools and businesses requires a continued effort to physically distance individuals from each other, and regular hand washing.
Customers wait in line at a grocery store in Montreal North, the hardest hit district of Montreal with COVID-19, on Thursday, Apr. 30, 2020. (Paul Chiasson/THE CANADIAN PRESS)
There are now 62,458 confirmed cases of COVID-19 cases in Canada, including 4,111 deaths caused by the virus, Tam said. Over 27,000 or 43 per cent of cases reported since the beginning of the outbreak have recovered, she added.
As Canadians worry about their physical health amid the pandemic, Tam said people should also not forget about the importance of mental health.
This year, as Canada marks the Mental Health Week, mental health takes on a special meaning in light of the additional stress and the uncertainty that everybody is experiencing due to COVID-19, she said.
“Across Canada and around the world people have been struggling with concerns of all manner and scope during these long weeks,” Tam said.
Quite fittingly the theme of this year’s Mental Health Week is social connection, she said.
“We said many times leading to this week that while we are apart physically, there has never been a more important time to stay connected,” Tam said.
With files from The Canadian Press
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