Rapid COVID-19 saliva tests are the swatter that could squash the pandemic: will Canada deploy them?

The ball is in the government’s hand, and as a first step it could form a COVID-19 task force on rapid testing, extending the existing one on immunity, to develop a plan for universal rapid testing. Whichever their choice, now is time for leadership and action to safeguard our health and our economy.

Canada's Health Minister Patty Hajdu, pictured May 26, 2020, on the Hill. Why are we not deploying rapid tests? For one, Health Canada must approve them, but only took a first, timid step a few days ago, by indicating they would consider them. If we want to fully benefit from them this fall, we must move by leaps and bounds, and marshal the best of Canada towards and develop a strategy for the most effective deployment of rapid, cheap saliva testing for everyone, everywhere, writes David Juncker.The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Opinion

BY DAVID JUNCKER

September 9, 2020

MONTREAL—As vaccines are being developed at a breakneck pace, it is unlikely that they will be available to us before summer next year. Rapid tests for COVID-19 that are run like a pregnancy test, but with saliva instead of urine, will be available shortly and could be deployed for screening the p...

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