AIR CANADA EYES TESTING DEVICE

Air Canada said Wednesday it was working with Spartan Bioscience Inc to assess using the Ottawa-based biotech firm’s portable COVID-19 testing technology. Spartan has been developing a proprietary swab for collecting DNA samples for its COVID-19 test, but the use of its test cartridge and the portable DNA analyzer device is subject to federal approval, Air Canada said. The carrier would work with Spartan “in the weeks and months ahead” before an accurate, portable molecular test for COVID-19 is made available, it said. “Air Canada’s strategy for managing COVID -19 has been to develop and apply multiple layers of biosafety measures for customers and employees. We believe the availability of a rapid, accurate, portable molecular test for COVID-19 will add yet another effective layer,” said Samuel Elfassy, vice-president, safety at Air Canada.