THUNDER BAY — With the two-week Christmas break just a few days away, Thunder Bay students are now receiving a pack of five rapid antigen COVID-19 test kits to be used at home during the holidays.
Explanatory letters accompany the kits.
Use of the screening kits is voluntary.
The provincially-funded initiative is aimed at preventing infected kids from re-entering schools in January.
The tests are intended for use by any child who's been participating in in-person learning, regardless of their vaccination status.
According to the instructions, tests should be administered every three or four days over the holidays.
The results show within 15 minutes.
In the event of a positive result, a confirmatory PCR test should be conducted within 48 hours at a local testing site or at a pharmacy that offers testing.
The child should also be isolated until the results of the PCR test are known.
Rapid antigen tests should only be used when a child has no COVID-19 symptoms and has not been exposed to a confirmed case.
Anyone with symptoms or who has been identified as a close contact should get a PCR COVID-19 test.
