People in Northern Manitoba now have the ability to find out if they have COVID-19 in as little as one hour, thanks to GeneXpert machines in four communities.
The rapid-response coronavirus testing devices were provided through a federal-provincial partnership and are available at Indigenous Services-operated hospitals in Norway House Cree Nation and Peguis First Nation. A third is on loan to Manitoba’s Shared Health department for use at Thompson General Hospital and the fourth will be available at St. Anthony’s Hospital in The Pas in the coming weeks.
“As part of our response to COVID-19, we continue to work closely with provinces and territories to prevent the spread of the virus,” said federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu. “The Public Health Agency of Canada’s National Microbiology Laboratory deployed the machines into these remote communities and will continue to provide COVID-19 testing support to them.”
The GeneXpert machines supplement rather than replace testing available at facilities in Thompson, The Pas and Flin Flon. They are reserved for patients who are experiencing multiple COVID-19 symptoms or have other factors that put them at greater risk of contracting the virus, as well as those who may not be able to self-isolate if they test positive and could be more likely to transmit the virus to others. Northern Manitobans who do not fit into these categories will still have their test samples transported south to Cadham Provincial Lab or Dynacare for testing.
“Measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 within northern communities have been a high priority since efforts to fight this virus within our province began several months ago,” said Manitoba Health Minister Cameron Friesen. “This new equipment has the capability to provide a COVID-19 test result in about an hour and will be used to quickly confirm the presence of the virus in those patients who may require additional support to self-isolate.”
Only three people in the Northern Regional Health Authority (NRHA) area have tested positive for COVID-19 since the first positive case in Manitoba was announced March 12, and all have recovered. No First Nation member living on-reserve in Manitoba has tested positive for the coronavirus to date.
“Residents throughout the north are to be commended for their vigilance in preventing the spread of this virus in our region,” said NRHA medical officer of health Dr. Michael Isaac. “Targeted rapid-response testing provides public health officials with another tool that will help us quickly suppress the spread of the virus if and when it reappears in our region.”
