Negative rapid test not a 'green light' for those with COVID-19 symptoms, Sask. top doc says
Saskatchewan's top doctor says a negative rapid COVID-19 test result does not mean it's time to head back to work or school if you're experiencing mild, cold-like symptoms.
"Please don't use the rapid test as a green light to go back to school or work because if you're symptomatic, you must isolate for 24 to 48 hours," Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Saqib Shahab said while speaking during a virtual news conference on Tuesday.
If a person's symptoms progress to include congestion and fever, Shahab recommends seeking the more accurate PCR testing offered by the Saskatchewan Health Authority.
Shahab said not only does a positive PCR test help someone know their true status, but it also serves as a point of access for early interventions that may help those who are older or have underlying risk factors.
To help preserve the province's capacity to offer PCR tests, the Saskatchewan government is asking residents to self-test using at-home antigen tests if mildly symptomatic or asymptomatic — and to take action if the telltale line appears that indicates a positive result.
However, while a recent study showed false positives are rare, Shahab said false-negative rapid antigen test results are not uncommon.
"If your rapid test is negative, it doesn't guarantee you don't have COVID. And of course, it also depends on your technique, how far back you're going with the swab and how diligently you're following the instructions.," Shahab said.
With "hardly any" flu going around Shahab said if a person has respiratory symptoms, especially fever and congestion, it's likely COVID-19.
"So irrespective of whether you do an antigen test, or go for a PCR test, stay home for those five days (if fully vaccinated), including 48 hours after you're symptom free.
"We were used to dragging ourselves to work coughing and unwell and obviously once the pandemic came that is no longer acceptable," said Shahab, who also emphasizes employers have a critical role to play.
"I will not deny that it's a challenge for employers, for business owners, for staff," Shahab said.
"It is so important for all workplaces to have a COVID protocol … because many employers also understand that for example, if you're running a restaurant with 10 staff and if everyone is doing a rapid test twice a week and stays home — even if they're asymptomatic — that protects the rest of the staff," Shahab said.
"Otherwise, if you're forced to go to work, you potentially could expose other staff."
Shahab pointed to updated resources offered by WorkSafe Saskatchewan as a good starting point for employers looking to fine-tune their approach during this latest stage of the pandemic.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Nine suspects arrested in $24M gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport: Peel police
Nine people have been arrested in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year, Peel Regional Police said Wednesday.
Some of the winners and losers in the 2024 federal budget
With a variety of fiscal and policy measures announced in the federal budget, winners include small businesses and fintech companies while losers include the tobacco industry and Canadian pension funds.
Gas prices across Ontario expected to climb to levels not seen since 2022, analyst says
Ontario is going to see a big jump at the pumps later this week as gas prices in the province hit levels not seen in nearly two years, according to one industry analyst.
O.J. Simpson was chilling with a beer on a couch before Easter, lawyer says. 2 weeks later he was dead
O.J. Simpson's last robust discussion with his longtime lawyer was just before Easter, at the country club home Simpson leased southwest of the Las Vegas Strip. About a week later, on April 5, a doctor said Simpson was 'transitioning.'
Father of boy accused of stabbing 2 Australian clerics saw no signs of extremism, Muslim leader says
The father of a boy accused of stabbing two Christian clerics in Australia saw no signs of his son’s extremism, a Muslim community leader said on Wednesday as police began arresting suspected rioters who besieged a Sydney church demanding revenge.
500 Newfoundlanders wound up on the same cruise and it turned into a rocking kitchen party
A Celebrity Apex cruise to the Caribbean this month turned into a rocking Newfoundland kitchen party when hundreds of people from Canada's easternmost province happened to be booked on the same ship.
Liberals must now sell a budget they say will help younger Canadians catch up
It's now up to the federal Liberal government to sell a spending plan it says will help younger Canadians catch up to their elders.
Ontario woman out $30K after investing in mortgage company accused of being unlicensed
An Ontario nurse is fighting to recover tens of thousands of dollars in savings she invested in a mortgage company that has since been accused of operating without a licence.
Canada is expected to win 22 medals at the Paris Olympics
Canada is expected to win a total of 22 medals, including six gold, at the Paris Summer Olympics, which open on July 26.