Saskatchewan

You get a positive rapid test result in Sask. What should you do next?

If you get a positive rapid test result, the Saskatchewan Health Authority says you must get a lab PCR test to confirm the result and isolate for 10 days.

You must get a PCR test and isolate for 10 days, according to Sask. Health Authority

If your rapid anitgen test results are positive, you need to get a PCR test and self-isolate for 10 days, the Saskatchewan Health Authority says. (Andrew Vaughan/The Canadian Press)

Saskatchewan residents are taking advantage of the province's robust rapid test distribution as the Omicron variant quickly spreads across Canada. 

The Saskatchewan government ordered 10.6 million rapid antigen tests from the federal government in October and they're all meant to be delivered by the end of the year.

You can pick up a test kit for free at hundreds of locations across the province, including libraries, schools and chambers of commerce. Regina and Saskatoon public library locations, alone, have handed out tens of thousands of kits in recent weeks.

Find a location near you using this map

If you get a positive rapid test result, the Saskatchewan Health Authority says you must:

  • Call HealthLine 811 to report the positive result and for further direction on masking and isolation
  • Set up an appointment for a lab PCR test to confirm the result
  • Immediately self-isolate for 10 days
  • Create a contact tracing list to identify people who might have been exposed to the virus 

The drive-thru testing site is open until 7 p.m. CST Monday in Regina, and 7:30 p.m. in Saskatoon. They open again Tuesday at 8:30 a.m., along with sites in Yorkton, Moose Jaw and Prince Albert.

WATCH | How rapid COVID-19 tests work:  

How to take a COVID-19 rapid test

3 years ago
Duration 10:37
Respirologist Dr. Samir Gupta shows how to accurately use a COVID-19 rapid test. He also explains the role the test can play in our fight against the pandemic.

Dr. Alexander Wong, an infectious disease physician in Regina, said in provinces where PCR testing is limited, it should be prioritized for high-risk outbreaks settings such as long-term care homes, hospitals, shelters and correctional facilities.

"Those are the types of settings where we probably need to concentrate our public health focus to prevent sort of big outbreaks," Wong said. "So a lot of things are going to change over the near future."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Yasmine Ghania is an Egyptian-Canadian reporter with CBC News, currently based in Vancouver. She covers the courts, sex crimes and more for local and national audiences. She previously reported in Ottawa, Toronto and all over Saskatchewan and was a finalist for a Canadian Association of Journalists award. Reach her at [email protected]

With a file from CBC News Network