TORONTO – The province says more than 44 million COVID-19 rapid testing kits will be made available to the general public for at-home use.
In a media release on Feb. 9, the Ministry of Health stated the province would distribute five million kits per week, for eight weeks, to more than 2,300 pharmacies and retailers across Ontario. An additional 500,000 kits will be distributed through community partners in vulnerable communities.
The government says the increased supply of testing kits is “a result of the province’s direct procurement.”
“As we continue to carefully ease public health measures, rapid tests are providing another layer of protection and offer the public an additional tool to confidently do the things they love, like visiting family or dining at their favourite local restaurant,” said Christine Elliott, Ontario’s minister of health.
“While testing is a critical component in our response to COVID-19, vaccination remains the best defence against the virus and its variants. Over the next few months, we need to continue following the public health measures that remain in place and vaccinate those who have yet to receive their doses to protect our communities and health care system capacity,” added Dr. Kieran Moore, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health.
The kits will be available at stores beginning Feb. 9, while supplies last, with a limit of one box of five tests per household per visit. Participating retailers will receive additional tests from the province each week, and the Ministry of Health says the retailers can determine how tests are distributed “in order to best serve the community, including through appointment bookings, at checkout or through online orders.”
According to the Government of Ontario’s website, the following local retailers will have kits to be distributed:
Listowel
- Food Basics (975 Wallace Ave. N.)
- Listowel Care Pharmacy (C-975 Wallace Ave. N.)
- Listowel Pharmacy (130 Argyle Ave. N.)
- Rx Drug Mart (600 Mitchell Rd. S.0
- Shoppers Drug Mart (210 Wallace Ave. N.)
Wingham
- Royal Oaks Pharmacy (131 John St. E.)
- Rx Drug Mart Wingham (55 Josephine St.)
Teeswater
- Teeswater Pharmacy (14 Clinton St. S.)
Mildmay
- The Stewart Pharmacy (1024 Highway 9)
Walkerton
- Brown’s Guardian Pharmacy (331 Durham St.)
- Pellow Pharmacy (232 Durham St. E.)
A complete, searchable list of participating retailers, as well as information on how the kits are being distributed, can be found at Ontario.ca/rapidtest.
