Saskatchewan is expanding it’s testing for COVID-19 as the province re-opens.
The province announced May 14th that COVID-19 testing will soon be available to anyone working outside their home, particularly those who are going back to work as part of the Re-Open Saskatchewan plan.
Proactive testing will also begin for people who are staying in the hospital longer than 24 hours including expectant mothers, immunocompromised people without symptoms, and all health staff working with immunocompromised patients. Mobile testing will also be available for people in high volume work areas, like factories and industrial settings.
In addition to the extra testing, the Saskatchewan Health Authority will begin case finding in populations that are homeless or live in other vulnerable settings. Public Health will also continue to work on testing and contacting people at high risk of infection due to spread of COVID-19 in their household, community or workplace.
The SHA is also working with First Nations and Indigenous communities to expand testing and contact tracing.
If widespread transmission occurs in a community, a community-wide testing plan would be undertaken. The Roy Romanow Provincial Laboratory currently has the capacity to complete 1,500 tests daily, as required.
More details about accessing the testing will be unveiled next week.