Manitoba not expanding access to PCR tests for COVID, antiviral treatment

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This article was published 06/02/2023 (944 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba has no plans to return to widespread lab testing for COVID-19 despite expanded access to PCR testing and treatment in some parts of the country.

Manitoba will continue offering PCR tests on a case-by-case basis as directed by a doctor, and hasn’t expanded eligibility criteria for antiviral treatment.

In December, Ontario began offering wider access to the antiviral COVID-19 treatment Paxlovid, allowing any adult infected with the virus within the past five to seven days to qualify for the treatment if it has been at least six months since their last vaccine dose.

Previously, Paxlovid was reserved for COVID-positive individuals who also had one of several high-risk factors. Now, those risk factors include a lapse in booster doses. Following that change, the Ontario government also expanded access to PCR testing to confirm positive COVID results for anyone 18 or older who hasn’t had a COVID vaccine or booster in the past six months.

A similar change doesn’t appear to be under consideration in Manitoba. A provincial government spokesperson said only that the testing eligibility requirements haven’t changed and that PCR tests can be provided on a case-by-case basis as directed by a primary care provider.

Eligibility for Paxlovid also remains unchanged in Manitoba. It includes unvaccinated individuals, those who have never been infected and those who haven’t had a booster dose, but it doesn’t include a six-month timeline for lapsed boosters.

Anyone who may be eligible for antiviral treatment is already eligible for a PCR test in this province, but it’s up to a physician to make a referral for a test. Otherwise, the lab tests are generally still reserved for hospitalized patients and long-term care residents, or residents of a congregate facility.

There’s no need to return to widespread PCR testing, particularly in the absence of public-health measures such as self-isolation and contact tracing, and due to the cost of the tests, said Winnipeg medical microbiologist Dr. Philippe Lagacé-Wiens.

PCR tests are a valuable way to confirm positive results for people seeking prompt antiviral treatment, but they also have a role in measuring ongoing community spread of the virus.

“One important reason is, is it going to make a treatment difference? But the other important (reason) is, do we have a decent handle on how much COVID there is in the community, and what kind of variants are circulating?” he said.

Last week, the provincial government reported Manitoba’s average weekly test positivity rate for COVID-19 was at 10.5 per cent. The limited access to lab testing means that figure isn’t particularly useful in determining community spread.

“Looking at strategies to sample people by PCR testing, I think, is going to become increasingly important to get the surveillance tools in place,”Lagacé-Wiens added.

katie.may@winnipegfreepress.com