Thread by @KashPrime

Lots of attention (finally) on rapid tests today, but it is important that they be used properly and in the right setting. They have limits, they are best at picking up people who are acutely contagious, they won't pick up those who are exposed and incubating the virus.

They need to be done frequently on a large population, perhaps twice a week. Someone testing negative one day, could very well test positive the next day. They are not a replacement for PCR testing.

They need to be coupled with supports; lots of the hotspots are in workplaces where people live paycheck to paycheck. We need to support these workers so that they keep their families fed while keeping their co-workers safe. Federal sick leave benefits should kick in seamlessly

New York City has some impressive services set up for their testing program:

https://twitter.com/MarkLevineNYC/status/1329414312662765574?s=19

What concerns me about our approach to this so far:
- Each province was been given tests, but they have no idea what to do with them
- There are limited quantities now because of a global supply crunch
- Health Canada has not approved great tests that are being used in Europe

- There isn't a good seamless support regime for workers. The federal sick leave benefit is still before senate
- Scarce tests are being eaten up by the private sector for social events
- We need millions of tests a week, the 4m we have now is a drop in the bucket

One rapid test, from SD Biosensor (South Korea) and marketed by Roche, has great numbers from this European analysis and has been awaiting approval for months now. Siemens' test has impressive numbers too but they haven't even bothered to apply in Canada

ecdc.europa.eu/en/publication…

What is needed now is clear leadership from the federal government to
- accelerate approval and direct local production of rapid tests
- buy hundreds of millions of tests, enough for each Canadian to test twice a week
- Cooperate with the provinces to do mass screening programs

As an example, we can go to the hardest hit areas in the GTA, NE Brampton and NW Toronto, a combined population of 473k. We would need 947k tests over two weekends to do a trial of Slovakia-like mass testing program. We could easily flatten the curve in these areas quickly.

This is possible with what we have on hand. It requires leadership and cooperation to get it done. If the trial works, it'll prove that rapid tests are the best shot we have of keeping things controlled until enough people get vaccinated in the Spring and Summer.

If we do nothing, we will be stuck in this pattern of lockdowns and reopenings, with the massive economic losses that strategy entails.

My earlier tweet on the mass testing program Slovakia did:

https://twitter.com/KashPrime/status/1328794677655592961?s=20

This editorial by @soupcoff lays out a lot of these points:

@DFisman @IrfanDhalla @IacovosMichael @picardonhealth @epdevilla @drmwarner

nationalpost.com/opinion/marni-…