On Wednesday, Alberta announced all residents of the Calgary zone who have a cough, fever, runny nose, sore throat or shortness of breath will be eligible for COVID-19 testing.
Alberta’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said currently the labs have more capacity for testing so they will be opening up testing criteria to include more Albertans.
“Our daily testing numbers are still lower than our labs have the capacity to test,” Hinshaw said.
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The decision to expand testing to Calgary was made because of the higher numbers of outbreak in the zone. Right now, there are 860 confirmed cases in the Calgary zone, compared to 368 in the Edmonton zone. Twenty people have died in the Calgary zone due to COVID-19, while four people have died in the Edmonton zone.
“In order to get as much information as possible to reduce spread in that area, we are expanding testing effective immediately,” Hinshaw said.
They province will also be opening testing to essential service workers across the province who have a cough, fever, runny nose, sore throat or shortness of breathe. This includes anyone whose worksite has not been closed to access by public health orders and if they were well would currently be working outside the home.
Anyone who lives with a senior and has COVID-19 symptoms is also eligible for testing.
Anyone who is eligible and wants to get tested must used the online COVID-19 tool, which will guide them in booking an appointment to get tested.
