Rapid test program for businesses catches dozens of probable COVID-19 cases in northeast

Northeastern Ontario chambers of commerce say their rapidtest programs for businesses have caught dozens of probable COVID-19 cases in recent months.

In May, chambers throughout Ontario began offering free rapid tests to small and medium sized business, for the purpose of regular asymptomatic COVID-19 testing. In Sudbury, the first few months saw lots of businesses get on board, and no positive tests results.

The chamber's president and CEO, Debbi Nicholson, said things have "changed significantly" in recent months. Between October 2 and the end of November, Nicholson said 186 rapid tests came back positive.

"Now some of them may have been a false positive, I'm not suggesting that all of them were COVIDcandidates, but some of them likely were. And if we were able to find out who those people were early on in their symptoms, or maybe they were totally asymptomatic, but we were able to capture that result that early, then that's very good news."

Nicholson said the chamber is not provided any identifying information about the people who tested positive, nor any follow information, so the chamber does not know how many of those individuals went on to have a confirmed positive PCR test.

'Enormous' uptake

Nicholson said the Sudbury chamberhas given out 70,700 tests to more than 550 participating businesses since the program began.

"The uptake has been absolutely enormous. We are very surprised by the numbers. But it's good to know that there is a lot of interest in the program, and certainly in recent weeks that uptick has been even greater."

The Sudbury chamber is not the only one seeing big demand.

"I would say that in the last two weeks the number of test kits that we have handed out are probably a 500 per cent increase over what we would have been handing out throughout early October," said Don Ferguson, communications officer with Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce.

We need to make sure that this is just an added tool and that people aren't lowering their guard Cameron Grant, Timmins Chamber of Commerce

Ferguson said businesses in Sault Ste. Marie use aportal to report their test results, which are sent directly to the ministry, so the chamber does not have any information about if or how many rapid tests have been positive. That's also the case for the North Bay and District Chamber of Commerce.

The Timmins Chamber of Commerce, meanwhile, said its businesses have reported 12 positive rapid test results since the program began.

'A peace of mind'

Lockerby Taxi is one of the Sudbury businesses that has been participating in the program since it began. It's also one of the businesses that had a positive test.

Co-owner Sharon Flinn said the company has been using its rapid tests mainly to test its small contingent of unvaccinated or partially vaccinated staff twice weekly. When one of the tests was positive, she said the employee was immediately isolated and sent home, and later had the result confirmed with a PCR test.

She said the two other employees that staff member had come in contact with both of whom were fully vaccinated were then offered daily rapid testing in the days that followed.

"So it gave them a peace of mind and also us as well," Flinn said.

Flinn said she's grateful for the rapid test program, and she's thought about what might have happened if that case hadn't been detected when it was.

"It would be astronomical you know what could have happened with it there because you have to you know possibly close your business down and for us that would be a major major setback for that."

Doesn't replace other measures

At the Timmins Chamber of Commerce, senior policy analyst Cameron Grant said the program has been very useful, particularly for businesses in the natural resource and manufacturing sectors where employees are often in close quarters. He said he's glad for the extra protection and peace of mind the program has provided to businesses and employees, thoughhe said that can be "a double edged sword."

"We need to make sure that this is just an added tool and that people who are using the rapid tests in the workplace aren't lowering their guard just because they've presented with a negative test that day," Grant said.

That sentiment was echoed by Dr. Penny Sutcliffe, the medical officer of health for Public Health Sudbury and Districts, who said rapid testing is "an excellent strategy" for early detection of COVID-19 cases and limiting spread, but that it is just "one of the pieces of the puzzle."