New tests could be here soon
Pending approval by Health Canada, a new test for COVID19 could be rolled out by Alberta Health Services in the coming weeks.
AHS has partnered with a Canadian company — Spartan Bioscience — for the test kits that can provide COVID-19 test results in less than an hour.
A swab is taken from the mouth or nasal passage and is examined using DNA technology to determine if the COVID-19 virus is present, said a spokesperson for AHS.
This is expected to be especially useful in rural and remote communities where patients would otherwise have to travel some distance for testing.
“At this point, we are still considering which communities and patient populations this test would benefit the most, but we expect to have that determined by the time Health Canada approves the use of it,” said the spokesperson. “This is expected within a few weeks.”
The spokesperson says AHS has already ordered 250 of the Spartan Bioscience units, which are handheld devices to do the testing. About 100,000 test kits and swabs have also been ordered as part of a $9.5-million contract.
AHS will validate test protocols and accuracy before the new technology is deployed.
The News has requested information regarding the accuracy of the tests currently being used and on the new ones but there has been no response.
Internationally there have been a number of tests developed with varying levels of accuracy.
When the Spartan tests are deployed they will augment the high volume of testing that AHS is already doing at the provincial laboratories in Edmonton and Calgary, the spokesperson said.
“Alberta has led the way nationally and internationally when it comes to testing for COVID-19. We have one of the highest rates of testing per capita in the world,” the spokesperson said. “We are currently able to test approximately 3,500 to 4,000 samples per day.”
Dr Paul Lem, CEO of Spartan Bioscience Inc. has said it is gratifying to see a made-in-Canada solution helping people during this pandemic.