The province has expanded its testing for COVID-19 to prevent the spread of the virus.
Long-term care and personal care home residents are now being tested for COVID-19 upon admission or re-admission, said the Saskatchewan Health Authority on Saturday.
Residents and staff will also be tested if any other resident or staff at the same facility is deemed positive for COVID-19.
Additionally, those who are at risk of COVID-19 following contact with a known or potentially infected person will be advised to get tested by health officials, regardless if they’re showing symptoms or not.
The SHA says public health will be contacting those who need to get tested.
Prior to the expanded testing, residents needed to get a referral by calling 811. Typically, those who showed symptoms of the virus would get tested.
“Testing is part of the Saskatchewan Health Authority offensive strategy to contain, delay and mitigate the spread of COVID-19,” said the SHA in a press release.
“Expanded testing has been implemented to align with the most recent evidence and consideration of practices in other jurisdictions. Saskatchewan is among the provinces with the widest access to testing.”
Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
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Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out.
For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.
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