Ontario Premier Doug Ford says discussions continue with Shoppers Drug-Mart over potentially adopting COVID-19 testing at their pharmacies, as it expands across Alberta.
Last week, Alberta's Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw announced Shoppers and its parent company Loblaws would have throat swabs at all its locations over the next two weeks.
This follows a pilot project at select locations in June and Ford said Monday he's considering the same.
"We've been discussing this for a little while now," he said. "I might as well just come out and say it, Galen Weston, you've been very cooperative, he offered to help any way he can and we appreciate it."
Senior VP of health and welless at Shoppers Theresa Firestone said the pilot has been popular in part because of the accessbility of their pharmacies' hours of operation, as well as the separation of the public.
"You have people who are not sick, no symptoms, not having to when they need to get a test, not going in line with sick people," she said. "The other provinces need to consider that."
Of the tests conducted at Alberta Shoppers locations, 0.2 per cent have resulted in positive COVID-19 cases.
Hinshaw projected the increased testing at the facilities will lead 3,000 to 4,000 more tests per day.
If someone wants to get the throat test at Shoppers, they first go through a screening process and anyone with symptoms is directed to a provincial assessment centre.
All tests are counted in the provincial database and if someone does test positive, they are then advised by their local public health unit on next steps.