‘We do need to do better’: Moe admits rapid tests should’ve been sent out sooner

The premier is admitting things could have been done better when it comes to rapid COVID-19 tests in the province.

Last week, the Saskatchewan Health Authority admitted it had been shipped more than 370,000 rapid tests but had only used around 7,000 of them. It was explained then that they were being used in a targeted fashion in long-term care homes.

On Thursday, Premier Scott Moe spoke to media about the issue.

“They should have been dispersed sooner and we do need to do better here in Saskatchewan. We’ve asked the Saskatchewan Health Authority to ensure that these are being dispersed to a number of priority areas in the province,” said Moe.

“In fairness, we should have had those deployed sooner than today.”

Moe said the tests are now being sent to schools and correctional facilities in the province, in addition to long-term care homes. He said the health authority is also in discussions with Indigenous communities to see if they might want access to tests.

Earlier in the day Thursday, the Saskatchewan NDP’s leader and health critic called for the province to do just that, and deploy more of the rapid tests to schools and high-risk workplaces.

“This speaks to the government’s failure to deal with the second wave of COVID-19,” Mowat said. “We haven’t seen any emphasis on increasing testing or contact tracing since the vaccine rollout started.”