Saskatchewan WCB seeks to pay for private PCR tests for COVID-19 applicants | The Canadian News

If a person suspects they contracted COVID-19 at work, the Saskatchewan Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) will now “look” to cover the cost of a private polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test.

The development comes a week after the WCB said positive rapid antigen tests will not be accepted as part of the claims process. At the same time, the Saskatchewan government has told coronavirus-positive people to only seek PCR testing if their symptoms are worse than mild.

Provincial health officials continue to recommend against PCR testing for people with mild symptoms if they tested positive with a rapid test.

“COVID injury claims are evaluated on a case-by-case basis,” said Jennifer Norleen-Beitel, vice president of operations for the WCB.

If a person tests positive on a rapid test and suspects the infection is work-related, the WCB would “encourage” them to get a PCR test, Norleen-Beitel said during a news conference on Thursday.

“We will look at reimbursement for private testing expenses if a workplace exposure is being reviewed or shown to be linked to the workplace,” Norleen-Beitel said.

Other possibilities include a doctor’s report or hospital records, he added.

People with mild symptoms are being told not to take PCR tests to preserve option for those who need them most, according to Derek Miller, acting director of operations for the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA).

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He pointed to increased demand at testing sites in the province. Drive-thru testing wait times peaked at four hours at noon Thursday in Saskatoon, while peaking in Regina was three to four hours at 1 p.m.

“Within SHA, we are working to ensure that we can provide that level of 3,000 to 4,000 tests per day,” Miller said.

Saskatchewan NDP health critic Vicki Mowat told Global News there is still a “huge discrepancy” between what the WCB requires and the government’s recommendations.

She said WCB is “on the right track” to pursue a PCR test so that a positive case is correctly identified in a person’s medical records. The solution, according to Mowat, is for the government to increase staffing for PCR tests and make them widely available.

One of his concerns is that people won’t know right away if their COVID-19 case will have long-term negative effects.

“The government didn’t think about this before they introduced the policy and I’m worried that people will fall through the cracks,” Mowat said.

Saskatchewan on Thursday reported 1,060 new cases of COVID-19 using PCR tests, though the actual number of COVID-19 cases is likely to be much higher due to people who tested positive on a rapid test.

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