SASKATOON -- As the number of new variant coronavirus cases continues to climb in Saskatchewan, the head of the province's teachers' union says it's time to roll out rapid testing more widely in schools.
Last month, the province announced tentative plans to offer the tests in a variety of settings — including schools.
However, Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation president Patrick Maze says the hundreds of thousands of tests still have yet to be used widely in schools.
"We are in a public health crisis and should be using every tool at our disposal. We know that approximately 40 percent of youth who contract COVID-19 don’t show symptoms," said Maze.
"These tests could have been used to fully understand caseloads in schools, emergence of variants and slowed community spread. Instead, we are headed for a third wave and students are once again having their education interrupted."
Two schools, in Yorkton and Melville, confirmed cases of COVID-19 variants earlier this week.
On Tuesday, two potential variant coronavirus cases were identified at Willowgrove School in Saskatoon.
In an emailed statement, the Ministry of Education said a testing plan has been shared with school divisions, "particularly those that have been affected by the variants."
"We have requested that school divisions, historical high schools and qualified independent schools review the plan and work with their local medical health officer to introduce rapid testing within schools," the statement said.
"It is important to note that school divisions are independent bodies that the ministries are working to support."
During a news conference in Regina on Tuesday, Saskatchewan's Chief Medical Health Officer, Dr. Saqib Shahab said the COVID-19 variants of concern are 70 per cent more transmissible.
"I think in the past, we've always been able to bend the curve, even in the fall through all the measures we've described, is going to be much harder with variants," Shahab said.
