Ontario leads Canada by completing 4M. COVID-19 tests, & its daily testing capacity

#Ontario; #LeadsCanadaInNoOfTest; #DailyTestingCapacity; #Covid19SecondWave

Toronto, Oct 07 (Canadian-Media): Ontario continues to lead Canada since the beginning of the pandemic by surpassing four million COVID-19 tests, as well in its daily testing capacity, said Ontario Premier Doug Ford Oct 6 during his daily briefings.

Image Doug Ford. Image credit: Twitter handle.

More testing centres are being added by the federal government to keep Ontario well-prepared for the second wave of COVID-19, to improve access and reduce wait times, and increase processing capacity within the provincial laboratory network.

"It's clear from today's milestone...most comprehensive testing strategy in the entire country, ...and completed more tests than all the other provinces combined...this critical capacity will ensure we are able to track, trace, and isolate the deadly invisible enemy...second wave," said Ford in a news release and attributed this to the tireless efforts lab technicians, pharmacists, nurses, and other frontline staff.

Details were released Oct 6 by Ford, Christine Elliott, Ontario's Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, Dr. David Williams, Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health, and Matt Anderson, CEO of Ontario Health.

"As part of our COVID-19 fall preparedness plan, our government is investing $1.07 billion to...expand our testing capacity, launch more testing locations...add more case and contact management resources to trace and isolate new cases," said  Elliott in a news release.

As the weather begins to get cooler, shifting of assessment centres to online and telephone bookings further provides certainty and convenience for those who need a test.