Rapid tests are less accessible even as COVID wave ramps up across Canada, doctors say

A couple of weeks ago, Andrew Longhurst and his family started to feel worse for wear. 

Wanting to test themselves for COVID-19, Longhurst, who lives with his wife and four-year-old son in Roberts Creek, B.C., travelled to pharmacies in nearby Sechelt and Gibsons in search of rapid test kits. 

"Two of the pharmacies I went to were out [of tests] and at that point, I stopped looking because I did find some more boxes in our house," Longhurst said. "It's more than frustrating that at a time when we're going into a big surge, the only [testing] tool that we have at our disposal is not readily available." 

In B.C., COVID-19 rapid tests are still being distributed in most pharmacies for free, but people like Longhurst in smaller, rural communities may have a harder time finding them.

Across Canada, experts say rapid tests are less accessible even as COVID-19 cases are on the rise, due to policy changes and inconsistent public health communication about testing. 

"What we've observed is that the access to [rapid] tests has certainly declined in the last little while," said Dr. Fahad Razak, internal medicine doctor at St. Michael's Hospital and Canada Research Chair in healthcare data and analytics at the University of Toronto. 

There is no shortage of COVID-19 rapid tests in Canadian warehouses, according to Health Canada data which shows there were 187 million undistributed rapid tests as of July 14. 

With a spike in cases and new vaccine campaign rollouts across the country, doctors say there is a need to make testing and mask wearing more commonplace to mitigate the risks of COVID-19 spread. 

Rapid tests are important for several reasons, according to Dr. Dalia Hasan, a Kitchener physician who created COVID Test Finders in 2021, a tool to help people find rapid tests. 

"They help stop community transmission of COVID by signalling a patient when they should isolate, use a well-fitted, high-quality mask like an N95, and also for them to know when to exit isolation," Hasan said. 

They are also an important tool for people to access treatments like Paxlovid, which needs to be administered within five days of testing positive in order to be effective, she said.

The Ontario provincial government discontinued their free rapid test distribution program at grocery stores and pharmacies in June, but in a less publicized statement earlier this month, said health-care providers can now order tests from the province to distribute to their patients for free as of September. 

The distribution system in Ontario is also up to each of the 34 local public health units, creating differences in where people can find a rapid test in each city. Ottawa, Hasan said, is a "shining example" of a health unit doing things right by distributed free rapid tests at libraries, community centres, and schools. 

The situation is different in Toronto, according to Dr. Kate Dupuis, a clinical neuropsychologist who works with long-term care patients. While some pharmacies still have rapid tests available, she says people in Toronto have been relying on social media and word of mouth to find them.