Alberta Health Services (AHS) attributed the move to decreasing demand for COVID-19 tests, available at the facility since September 2020.
Article content
Alberta’s health authority ended its COVID-19 testing operation at the Edmonton EXPO Center on Friday.
Article content
In a news release, Alberta Health Services (AHS) attributed the move to decreasing demand for COVID-19 tests, which had been available at the event center since September 2020.
In January, Alberta ended widespread PCR testing for COVID-19 due to the rise of the highly transmissible Omicron variant, which was pushing the province’s testing system beyond its capacity. Laboratory tests have since been limited to those who are more susceptible to severe outcomes from the disease, as well as those who work or live in high-risk settings.
AHS staff completed more than 470,000 swabs at the Edmonton Expo Center over the past 18-or-so months, the health authority added, noting the the location played an important role in the Edmonton zone’s pandemic response.
Alberta Health Services has provided a list of conditions to identify people eligible for free PCR testing on its website, and continues to offer testing at five locations in the Edmonton zone, including the municipalities of St. Albert, Spruce Grove, Leduc and Sherwood Park as well as the community of Mill Woods in southeast Edmonton.
—With files from Postmedia