Health officials unveiled a new "made in BC" COVID-19 test specifically intended for K-12 students.
According to Dr. Bonnie Henry, the test involves gargling saline in your mouth and then spitting the mouth wash into a test tube.
“Today, a new made-in-B.C. sample collection program has been launched for all K-12 students across the province. One of the first of its kind worldwide," she said.
“For school-aged children four to 19, a mouth-rinse gargle is now available at COVID-19 collection centres around the province.
"Unlike the nasopharyngeal swab method, this new saline method doesn’t require a health-care professional to collect the sample."
While the test doesn't have to be administered by a health professional, meaning a child or parent can complete the task, people must still visit their local COVID-19 centre to take the test.
A BC company will provide the collection tubes for the new test.
“This reduces our dependency as a province on the global supply chain, which we know has been one of the challenges particularly around our lab testing,” added Dr. Henry.
BC set a new single-day record with 165 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, already topping the total of 139 set last week.
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