TORONTO — A senior Ontario government source says pharmacies in the province will soon be able to start offering COVID-19 tests for symptomatic people.
Currently, pharmacies can only do COVID-19 tests for people without symptoms, who haven’t been in contact with someone with COVID-19, and aren’t part of an outbreak investigation.
The testing is largely intended for residents, workers and visitors of long-term care homes, Indigenous individuals, and people who need out-of-country medical services.
The source, who isn’t authorized to speak publicly ahead of an upcoming announcement, says pharmacies – if they opt in – will soon be able to offer PCR swab tests for people with symptoms and high-risk contacts of people with COVID-19.
The pharmacies will also be able to serve as drop-off points for at-home tests, if they want to participate in the program.
Pharmacies will be expected to have a dedicated space in which to perform the tests, physical distancing, time between tests to allow for cleaning, and put up signage indicating the location provides symptomatic testing.
