Public health officials are introducing a pilot project to test the effectiveness of rapid testing for asymptomatic personal care home staff.
The project is being launched in three personal care homes, two in Winnipeg and Country Meadows Personal Care Home in Neepawa, which is a part of the Prairie Mountain Health (PMH) region.
Health, Seniors and Active Living Minister Cameron Friesen made the announcement yesterday saying protecting the health of the most vulnerable Manitobans is a top priority.
“This pilot project will expand the asymptomatic testing that is already underway in personal care homes by testing staff who do not have any symptoms and is the first step in plans for an expansion of this work to other sites in the weeks ahead.”
This project implements broader asymptomatic surveillance, by testing where there are no symptoms and no known exposure. Staff will be asked to participate on a voluntary basis, with testing performed once a week.
The pilot project will use Abbott Panbio COVID-19 rapid antigen test, which provides a result in approximately 20 minutes. Staff at the participating sites will be trained to perform the test using the equipment. Results received as ‘positive’ will be reported to public health as probable cases and will be confirmed by a lab-based test.
Friesen noted the project will also allow officials to test the effectiveness of the new rapid testing equipment to better understand how it can be deployed and used in other settings.
Testing is expected to begin on Dec. 21 and will be conducted for four weeks at each site.
It’s expected the project will be expanded in the weeks following the initial results.
