WINNIPEG -- Winnipeg testing centres reached capacity at least an hour before their closure times for several days in a row this week.
According to a spokesperson from the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, testing sites reached capacity by 3 p.m. on both Tuesday and Wednesday.
This comes as schools reopened and the number of people getting tested for the disease has continued to climb, not only in Manitoba, but across Canada.
On Wednesday alone, more than 1,400 Manitobans were tested, and in the last week, the province has seen upwards of 1,500 tests completed each day
Now, the province is working on a strategy to increase its testing capacity.
“We are working on an overall testing strategy,” said Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba’s chief provincial public health officer.
“So that involves sample collection sites, the lab, the reporting and so we really are working on every aspect of that to ensure we can ramp up the volume of testing and work on our turnaround time.”
The federal government has also pledged more funding to help deal with the long lines at testing centres.
On Wednesday, Sept. 16, the federal government announced $19 billion for the ‘Safe Restart Agreement.’ This money will be used for a number of benefits, including increasing testing and contact tracing, improving the capacity of provincial healthcare systems, and helping to restart essential services.
Currently in Manitoba, the province is telling only those displaying COVID-19 symptoms to get tested.
- With files from CTV’s Ben Cousins.
