There are signs that COVID-19 testing capacity is expanding in Ontario as the highly contagious Omicron variant takes hold.
Ottawa Public Health informed healthcare workers in a memo last week that virus testing is no longer available to everyone “in a timely manner” due to an increase in demand.
As a result, public health says that people who have symptoms but cannot be tested should assume they have been infected with the Omicron variant and isolate for 10 days regardless of their vaccination status.
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The rule will also apply to the household contacts of the person with symptoms, the health unit said, as its goal is to preserve testing for essential workers and vulnerable populations.
In Peterborough, Ontario, the local public health unit is encouraging residents to report positive COVID-19 rapid test results online to help track cases in the community.
Currently, people who test positive for COVID-19 on a rapid test must confirm it with a PCR test, but experts cautioned that capacity may be depleted as Omicron spreads.
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