2021-05-16 from CP24.com

One of Ontario’s biggest retail pharmacy chains will now offer rapid COVID-19 tests in some regions across the province.

In a news release, Shoppers Drug Mart said that starting today, customers who are not exhibiting symptoms and who have not been in contact with someone that is COVID-19 positive can purchase a test for $40.

Unlike the real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test currently offered by the province, which can take up to 48 hours to process, the rapid test can provide results within 15 to 20 minutes.

And while the rapid test is less sensitive than the traditional PCR test, it can detect an active COVID-19 infection by detecting the presence of antigens or specific proteins on a virus’s surface, the company said.

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