Photo Credit: Alberta Health Services

By Shane Clausing

covid-19 testing

AHS partners with tech company to enable rapid COVID-19 testing

Mar 30, 2020 | 3:05 PM

Alberta Health Services (AHS) and the Canadian technology company Spartan Bioscience are teaming up to enable rapid testing in the province for COVID-19.

Spartan Bioscience Inc. is in the late stages of developing a handheld rapid-testing device for COVID-19, which can confirm test results for the virus in less than one hour.

The new technology will help AHS provide additional, more expedient testing in rural and remote communities, such as indigenous communities.

AHS will receive 250 handheld devices, along with 100,000 testing kits which are to be distributed to healthcare facilities outside of Calgary and Edmonton. The new kits are expected to arrive next month.

Health Canada is expected to approve the use of rapid test kits within a few weeks. AHS will also validate the test protocols and accuracy of the testing before the new equipment is deployed.

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Alberta’s Minister of Health Tyler Shandro says that this new technology will greatly benefit rural communities.

“We have recognized a gap in our testing, and I am pleased AHS is working swiftly with industry to find ways to ensure rapid testing for the virus is accessible for people in rural and remote communities,” said Shandro, in a release.

Shandro also added that Alberta has one of the fastest jurisdictions in the world for the testing of COVID-19, this investment just ensures that the province can maintain their rapid pace in testing.

“COVID-19 places significantly increased demand on our lab capacity,” says AHS President and CEO Dr. Verna Yiu. “This new technology will supplement our current testing efforts and give AHS the ability to provide timely testing and results to more Albertans in more communities.”

Dr. Deena Hinshaw will be providing the latest COVID-19 update at 4:30 p.m. on Monday from the Alberta Legislature. As of Sunday, there are 661 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Alberta, 45 of those are in the North Zone.