More than 5,000 COVID-19 test samples destroyed in Montreal
More than 5,000 people who were given a PCR test for COVID-19 in early January have not received their results because their samples were destroyed.
According to the CIUSSS du Nord-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, due to an increase in demand for COVID screening at the beginning of the new year, laboratory capacity was exceeded between Jan. 3 and 7. This caused 5,462 samples to sit for over 72 hours before being analyzed, making their results invalid and requiring they be destroyed.
The CIUSSS covers the northern part of Montreal, spanning from Cartierville to Rivière-des-Prairies.
A message was sent to those who had their samples destroyed, urging them to get re-tested if they still have symptoms. As PCR testing is currently no longer available to the general public in Quebec, anyone who does not fall into a priority category was encouraged to use a rapid-testing kit at home.
Those eligible for PCR tests are health and social service workers, people in long-term care, homeless people, first responders, people who travel in and out of Indigenous communities, school staff, and those who linked with a suspected outbreak in a high-risk setting.
A news release from the CIUSSS said, “If you are unable to obtain these tests, isolate yourself for the number of days you are expected to be in isolation based on your vaccination status."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.