'I liked it, it's a little less invasive'; take-home COVID-19 testing kits available in N.S.
As a health-care worker, July Lugar is no stranger to COVID-19 tests, but when she popped into the Halifax Convention Centre Monday, Lugar was surprised to learn she could now test herself for the virus.
"I wasn't expecting to be able to test myself but I liked it, it's a little less invasive," she said.
As part of a pilot program, take-home testing kits are available at pop-up testing sites, like the convention centre.
"It started about a week or more ago and it allows people to come in and learn how to do the nasal swabs themselves and we actually it's guided, they can learn from the swabber and they can take the test home and do it themselves as their second test of that week," said Ondra Dejager, site lead at the centre.
"It incorporates it into their daily life which is what is key right now."
With low case numbers, testing sites aren't as busy as they were a few months ago.
"The testing's been good," said Dejager. "We could always use more people coming out and incorporating this into their day to day life. We find testing is very important for catching COVID and just making sure people are protecting themselves and those around them especially as things open up."
More than 200 companies in Nova Scotia are now providing rapid testing for their employees on site.
"Rapid testing is easy to do, it's easy to set up, it's easy for your employees to do and it keeps them safe, keeps their families safe," said Patrick Sullivan, CEO of the Halifax Chamber of Commerce.
"We need to ensure that we're ready in case there's a next time as we move forward and begin to live with COVID."
The Halifax Chamber of Commerce is one of the organizations providing rapid-testing kits and PPE, like facemasks and gowns free of charge to businesses.
"People do need ensure that they keep doing the testing. You know, we're not out of COVID. We could be back into COVID sometime in the future so having this if you will tool in their tool kit to ensure that they can remain open and safe for their employees I think is really, really important," said Sullivan.
Since the rapid-testing program started for businesses a few months ago, more than 150,000 tests have been sent to organizations across the province.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Fewer medical students going into family medicine contributing to doctor shortage
As some family doctors are retiring and others are moving away from family medicine, there are fewer medical students to take their place.
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Competition bureau finds 'substantial' anti-competitive effects with proposed Bunge-Viterra merger
The proposed merger of agricultural giants Viterra and Bunge is raising competition concerns from the federal government.
Douglas DC-4 plane with 2 people on board crashes into river outside Fairbanks, Alaska
A Douglas C-54 Skymaster airplane crashed into the Tanana River near Fairbanks on Tuesday, Alaska State Troopers said.
NASA hears from Voyager 1, the most distant spacecraft from Earth, after months of quiet
NASA has finally heard back from Voyager 1 again in a way that makes sense. The most distant spacecraft from Earth hadn't sent home any understandable data since last November.