VICTORIA — British Columbia is introducing a new saline gargle test for students from kindergarten to Grade 12 to help make it easier for children and teenagers to check whether they have COVID-19.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says British Columbia is one of the first places in the world to use a mouth rinse gargle test for the new coronavirus.
The province announced a record daily high of 165 new cases of COVID-19 today and one additional death, bringing the death toll to 220.
There has been a total of 7,663 cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Henry says getting tested is key in the fight against the pandemic and the test will make it easier to collect samples from young people.
The test can be done without a health professional by parents or children themselves.
Private and public health officials have been touting various methods under consideration across the country for saliva-based COVID-19 tests as lines grow at assessment centres.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2020.
The Canadian Press
