Epidemiological experts caution COVID-19 rapid test results
Throughout much of the pandemic, Maritimers have relied on rapid tests to help them track the spread of COVID-19, but some epidemiological experts are cautioning the results might not reveal the full picture.
University of Saskatchewan professor and epidemiologist, Dr. Nazeem Muhajarine, says users should be cautious when reading results.
"[Rapid tests are] an imperfect tool, as important as it is, it’s an imperfect tool," says Dr. Muhajarine. "Particularly during Omicron, particularly during the subvariants of BA.2 and BA.1."
Dr. Muhajarine says Maritimers and other Canadians should keep a supply of rapid tests on-hand, use them "smartly and frequently" and when they do, swab the throat, cheeks and nostrils.
"If you are asymptomatic but were potentially exposed, I would do that rapid test quite frequently," says Muhajarine.
"I would do, for example, two tests after the second day, certainly after 24 hours of being possibly exposed. So, within 24 to 48 hours, I’ll do that first test, if it’s negative I do another test, another 24 hours apart."
It’s a sentiment that has been echoed by the outgoing scientific director of Ontario’s COVID-19 science advisory table, Dr. Peter Juni.
"Don’t trust rapid tests, we don’t know how this works with BA.2," says Dr. Juni. "If it’s negative once, not enough – it needs to be at least twice."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.