Sounds like a step in the right direction.  The tests would not be absolutely   
   definitive, but enough to make someone get a clinical test.     
      
   If we now have colon cancer tests for home, we surely could use these covid   
   test kits to put our minds to rest - or seek further testing.   
      
   Glad to see this Health Canada 'reversal' just as we did with face masks.   
   _________________________________   
   Thomson Reuters · Posted: Sep 01, 2020   
      
      
   Health Canada changes course on COVID-19 testing at home   
      
   Rapid COVID-19 tests similar to home pregnancy tests exist as prototypes in   
   research lab   
      
   Health Canada is willing to consider approving home COVID-19 tests to screen   
   for the virus, a spokesperson for the minister of health told Reuters, in a   
   win for public health experts and doctors who have argued that frequent and   
   inexpensive testing could    
   beat back the pandemic.   
      
   The health ministry had previously said it was concerned that people might   
   misuse home tests or misinterpret the results.   
      
   "In response to the evolution of the pandemic, Health Canada is now   
   considering applications for home testing devices for screening purposes,"   
   said Cole Davidson, spokesperson for the minister of health said in a   
   statement.   
      
   In June of this year, Health Canada had indicated that it would not review   
   applications for home test kits, as at that time, "the Department's position   
   was in relation to the use of home tests for diagnostic purposes," the   
   statement said.   
      
   Screening tests are meant to monitor large groups of seemingly healthy people   
   for illness, while diagnostic tests investigate symptoms.   
      
   The change could allow for self collection, where samples are sent to a lab   
   for processing, and spur the development of new tests to detect the virus at   
   home.   
   Njoo says there 'might be a place' for home tests   
      
   Home tests may be more likely to miss positive cases than the laboratory   
   tests. Regulators generally want those errors to be very rare, since patients   
   who do not realize they are contagious could spread the virus.   
      
   But advocates argue that cheap, rapid tests could more than make up for any   
   reduced sensitivity if they can be used to test many people daily or weekly,   
   and   
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   are very unlikely to miss people who are sick enough to be contagious.   
      
   Dr. Howard Njoo, deputy chief public health officer, said PCR testing (also   
   known as polymerase chain reaction testing) remains the gold standard.  That's   
   the nose or throat swab test which, after laboratory analysis, tells health   
   officials if someone    
   currently has COVID-19.   
      
   "It's very important to critically get the result right. For example, a sick   
   person in intensive care in the hospital or, for example, someone who is   
   symptomatic in a long term care facility — you want to use the PCR," he said   
   during a briefing in    
   Ottawa Tuesday.   
      
   "Where I think there might be a place for other types of testing modalities,   
   other technologies, is where certain types of testing might be done — for   
   example, screening on a regular basis in workplaces or other contexts."   
      
   Rapid COVID-19 tests similar to home pregnancy tests exist as prototypes in   
   research labs, but until last week none were approved or manufactured at scale.   
      
   Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a $5 rapid COVID-19   
   test about the size of a credit card, made by Abbott Laboratories. The test   
   cannot be taken alone, but it can be administered by a wide variety of   
   health-care providers and    
   technicians.   
      
   Abbott has not applied to sell the device in Canada, public application data   
   shows.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)