On Wednesday, the province announced 50 locations across the province where free rapid COVID-19 antigen tests could be picked up. Despite the high rate of Omicron in the Kingston region, only one location is listed for the KFL&A region.
On Saturday, between 12:15 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., free rapid tests will be available for pickup at the Rideau Heights Community Centre.
The tests are some of two million being sent across the province to help deal with demand as Omicron spreads in Ontario.
But as COVID-19 cases continue to skyrocket in the Kingston region, many are scrambling to find tests, especially ahead of the holidays.
Over the last week alone, more than 12,600 people have been tested at KFL&A assessment centres.
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Locally, for those needing tests, KFL&A Public Health continues to conduct testing daily at the Beechgrove assessment centre, alongside a mobile pop-up clinic running Thursday between 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. at 111 Van Order Dr.
Aside from these options, the health unit has offered take-home PCR tests to various family health-care teams for their patients.
Rapid tests were also made available to local businesses through distribution partners like the Kingston Chamber of Commerce and Ontarians have been able to purchase a rapid test at select pharmacies, such as Shoppers Drug Mart.
Although the free rapid tests delivered by the province were meant to help people access testing in COVID-19 hotspots, the majority of the 50 locations announced Wednesday are in the Greater Toronto Area.
With Kingston’s case rates reaching the highest in the province, it’s unclear if the one pop-up rapid test clinic at the Rideau Heights Community Centre will make much of a dent in local demand.
But, according to Premier Doug Ford, right now, demand for rapid tests is outpacing supply in Ontario.
“As it stands right now, we have zero (tests) that either aren’t out the door or are allocated. I understand that millions are coming in on Dec. 27; those are already allocated,” Ford said in a news conference Wednesday.
“We need tens of millions of these rapid tests to make sure we get them to every corner of this province.”
Take-home rapid tests will also be made available at select LCBO stores this week, but those locations have yet to be identified.