East Central School is one of a number of schools in the Sask. Rivers School Division to receive rapid tests. (Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Healthy schools

Rapid tests coming to Prince Albert area schools

Oct 7, 2021 | 5:00 PM

A new supply of 475,000 self-tests is being rolled across the province to Saskatchewan elementary schools, but they are being snatched up almost upon arrival.

According to last week’s announcement from the provincial government, the pilot program targets students age 11 and under, as they are not yet eligible for vaccination.

Robert Bratvold, Director of Education for the Sask. Rivers School Divison, confirmed through an email Thursday, the school division has just received its first installment of kits, and they are currently being distributed to schools.

“The Ministry is shipping them in several batches so tracking is not easy, but we expect to have between 715 and 840 kits this week. That is around 15 per cent of our under 11 student population,” he said.

As of Oct. 4, parents with a child age 11 or younger attending school could contact their school about receiving home, self-testing kits for use by their household. Bratvold explained that based on conversations he’s had with principals, he anticipated demand will deplete the first allocation of self-test kits in a very short period for most of the schools in the division.

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In turn the Prince Albert Catholic School Division is scheduled to receive 89 kits, which will be distributed amongst its six elementary schools. Director of Education Lorel Trumier confirmed the first shipment had been received already.

“I can tell you the demand for them is much higher than what’s being provided,” she said.

Two town hall meetings were held on Oct. 5, during which time parents had the opportunity to provide the school division with an expression of interest. Trumier explained the school division then offered parents the opportunity to pre-order the kits, and a random draw was held with all the names.

“[The government] is telling us that they are only going to provide us with up to 15 per cent of the population of students under 11,” she said.

Going forward Trumier explained they’ve kept all the submitted names on file, so if more kits do come in, those people will get first priority.

Demand high across the province

In Saskatoon and Regina, the test kits are just as popular.

Veronica Baker, manager of communications and marketing at Saskatoon Public Schools, explained administration had heard from several principals that the kits went very fast, with many schools reporting they have more families waiting to get a kit than actually received one. The situation is nearly the same in Regina.

Terry Lazarou, the supervisor of communications at Regina Public Schools, said tests were sent to all 47 public elementary schools in the city, but only about 20 per cent of what would be needed to supply all families with children 11 and under with one kit.

A recent report from Reuters said American antigen manufacturers like Abbott Laboratories, the most widely available brand in Saskatchewan, are increasing production to meet a rising demand.

Boosting output could take weeks or months, making a supply chain shortage likely in the short term with more and more jurisdictions across the world in favour of rapid tests at workplaces and schools.

This could also lead to increased costs for testing programs across the continent as governments could consider more costly rapid antigen options.

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell

— with files from 650 CKOM