COVID-19 Rapid Testing
STARTING MAY 21, 2021
We are excited to be Introducing a COVID-19 rapid screening program on property for our team members and residents.
This program will provides another layer of protection to assist in keeping the work place and residents safe. It is not a replacement for current recommended control measures such as masking, physical distancing, hand hygiene, etc, but rather is another layer of protection.
WHO: Voluntary participation
– Anyone that has not tested positive for Covid in the past
– Anyone with NO Covid symptoms
– No known exposure to Covid-19
– Individuals who have received a covid-19 vaccine are still eligible
Nasal Swabs – Will be self-administered – not as intrusive as the nasal swabs administered by health care professionals.
It’s NOT so Scary! Click HERE to watch a video on how the sample is collected.
Frequency – This is a voluntary program. NOT MANDATORY. Employees who volunteer should have testing completed 1/week.
Where: People & Culture Office – Mount Kidd Manor
When: Available on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturdays (closed on Thursdays and Sundays) Open between the hours of 8:50am-4pm. We can service 1 person, every 15 minutes Ideally testing is occurring before starting your shift.
What Screening Can Do
Rapid COVID-19 tests are used to screen for potential COVID-19 infection in individuals who are asymptomatic (i.e., they do not have any symptoms of infection) or pre-symptomatic (i.e., the period before symptoms start). Screening using rapid tests identifies some, but not all, asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic cases and can limit viral transmission by isolating infected people earlier.
What Screening Cannot Do
Screening cannot diagnose COVID-19. A confirmatory lab-based PCR test is required for diagnosis. Screening cannot rule out COVID-19 infection. In individuals with no symptoms, false negatives are common. A screening program does not replace public health measures such as physical distancing, masking, hand hygiene, staying home and accessing testing when sick, and the mandatory isolation of COVID-19 cases and quarantine of their close contacts.
How are rapid tests administered (throat, nose swab, etc.)
The rapid test we will be using for asymptomatic COVID-19 screening require nasal swab collection, not the deep-penetrating nasopharygeal swab. Samples are processed to produce a positive or negative result. Employees will be self-administering their own nasal swab collection.
What does a positive result on a rapid antigen test mean?
A positive result on a rapid screen of an asymptomatic person is not diagnostic for COVID-19. However, an individual who screens positive must immediately be removed from the site and must isolate for 10 days. The person should arrange a further test at an Alberta Health Services’ assessment centre, for verification through the public health testing system. If the lab test is positive, isolation would continue. If the lab test is negative, and the person still has no symptoms, the isolation can stop.
What does a negative result on a rapid antigen test mean?
A negative rapid antigen test result does not guarantee that the individual is not infected with COVID-19 or will not spread it to others. In asymptomatic individuals, false negatives are common. As such, the individual is required to continue to adhere to public health rules such as masking, physical distancing, hand hygiene, etc
Please reach out to Bridget Murphy directly at BridgetM@LodgeatKananaskis.com with any questions you may have on this new program.