Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
As concerns over the spread of the new Omicron COVID-19 variant seep into Canadians' holiday plans, experts say rapid tests could be used to help protect those looking to get together with friends and family. However, they warn that the tests aren't perfect.
Dr. Nitin Mohan, an epidemiologist and assistant professor at Western University, told CTVNews.ca that rapid antigen tests, which can provide on the spot results in about 20 minutes, can "absolutely" be used to further protect Canadians who plan to spend time with family and friends this holiday season.
"What rapid tests do is they provide an indication of someone's status at that time," Mohan said in a telephone interview Monday. "[It] provides an extra layer of data that gives you an idea of where you're sitting in terms of the possibility to transmit the virus to those who are more vulnerable."
However, Mohan said rapid tests are "only one of many layers of protection" against COVID-19 and do not replace vaccines. He says those looking to gather over the holidays should be fully vaccinated and have a booster shot if they are eligible.
"Omicron, if not now, very shortly will be the dominant strain in Canada," Mohan said. "So if you want to be extra cautious taking a rapid test prior to the event to ensure that you know you are not transmitting the virus to anyone that's there, I think that's a good idea."
Mohan acknowledged that "nothing is as accurate as" the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, which are widely considered the "gold standard" for COVID-19 testing in Canada, but have a longer turnaround time -- usually up to three days. However, he said rapid tests are "within the 80th and the 90th percentile of sensitivity and specificity," and can help to identify COVID-19 cases quickly.
"We're not looking at a 99 per cent confidence in terms of the rapid test, but they are still quite high," Mohan said. "So I think there's still a clear inherent value in folks using rapid tests."
Dr. Fahad Razak, a member of the Ontario Science Table and an internal medicine physician at St. Michaels Hospital in Toronto, told CTV News Channel that rapid antigen tests have an "important role" at this point in the pandemic as more transmissible variants continue to emerge.
"The evaluation that we did was based on the Delta variant, which is extremely infectious," he said Thursday. "We know Omicron is probably even more infectious than Delta."
Razak said current data suggests that the rapid antigen tests are "very effective" at screening asymptomatic individuals for the current version of the COVID-19 virus that is circulating.
Razak said the accuracy of the rapid antigen tests depends on the characteristic of the virus and explained that as the virus becomes more infectious, the tests actually work better.
Despite this, Razak emphasized that rapid antigen tests should be used for surveillance in asymptomatic people.
"This is for surveillance in a population where you're starting to get an increased spread, and you want to prevent those outbreaks from occurring," he said. "And with Delta, these tests seem to work extremely well in that kind of application."
However, Dr. Matthew Oughton, an infectious disease specialist at the Jewish General Hospital and McGill University in Montreal, said it is important to remember that rapid tests aren't perfect.
"It's not perfect and no one should assume that, especially with rapid tests, that a single negative test means that it's absolutely impossible that you have an infection and could be contagious," Oughton said in a telephone interview with CTVNews.ca on Monday.
While a negative result from a rapid test may make the possibility of infection less likely, Oughton said it "still doesn't preclude the possibility" that someone could attend a get together without knowing they are infected.
But because the Omicron is "not only more infectious, but even more rapidly infectious," Oughton said rapid tests can be a good tool to use when deciding to see family over the holidays, if used properly and in a timely manner.
"With Omicron, that means that you can't rely on a negative test that is old," Oughton said. "So If you're going to some sort of get together, then it really makes sense to do that rapid test very soon before that gathering happens."
However, he stressed that if an asymptomatic individual receives a positive rapid test result, or develops COVID-19 symptoms, they will still need to get a PCR test at a testing centre and should "govern themselves as infectious" until the results of a PCR test are received.
Amid concerns over Omicron spread, Oughton said Canadians need to continue to take caution over the holidays, adding that that rapid tests aren't the only measure Canadians should use when gathering.
He said maintaining current public health measures, including handwashing, wearing a face mask and reducing social contacts, can help mitigate risk over the holidays.
"Even if you do a rapid test the day of a party and even if the rapid test is negative, but if you start having symptoms, then I would encourage people to not go to that get together because there's always a possibility that the rapid test missed it," Oughton said.
With files from CTVNews.ca's Hannah Jackson
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
A group of SaskPower workers recently received special recognition at the legislature – for their efforts in repairing one of Saskatchewan's largest power plants after it was knocked offline for months following a serious flood last summer.
A police officer on Montreal's South Shore anonymously donated a kidney that wound up drastically changing the life of a schoolteacher living on dialysis.
Since 1932, Montreal's Henri Henri has been filled to the brim with every possible kind of hat, from newsboy caps to feathered fedoras.
Police in Oak Bay, B.C., had to close a stretch of road Sunday to help an elephant seal named Emerson get safely back into the water.
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.