Health Canada will is restricting the use of Canadian-made rapid testing kit for the 2019 novel coronavirus.
Ottawa company Spartan voluntarily recalled its test kits Sunday for further evaluation, after Health Canada found issues with the swabs used to collect samples.
Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam explains that right now, it is only able to be used for research.
“It was in the real-life setting, in the clinical setting, where it didn’t perform well,” Dr. Tam notes.
The company says it has shipped 5,500 tests across Canada to provincial and federal government health agencies to be validated.
She points out there are tests in the works from other companies. The Spartan tests were not factored into the country’s goal of 60,000 tests per day, which only includes laboratory tests.
However, this could impact remote communities who face long wait times for results to return from laboratories.
Canada now has over 57,000 COVID-19 cases nationwide, and 3,606 deaths from the virus. Dr. Tam acknowledges the numbers do not convey the impact of each illness and death, adding healthcare workers are crucial to supporting those affected.
“They reach out when we have to remain apart during illness, prolonged hospital stays, and during heart-wrenching last moments. They keep us informed as our loved ones are being cared for, and they share the saddest of news when illness outcomes can bring only tears,” she says.
Federal officials also announced a contract has been finalized with New Brunswick-based company LuminUltra to manufacture COVID-19 tests, alongside agreements with several other Canadian companies.
With Ontario and Quebec set to lift some COVID-19 restrictions, Dr. Tam says health officials will be watching the rates of infection closely in the coming weeks.
