Quebec orders more than 70 million COVID-19 rapid tests

Quebec's Health Ministry states it has reached an agreement with locally-based MedSup Medical to produce more than 70 million rapid tests in the coming months.

According to health officials, the first shipment of 10 million tests is scheduled for the end of January.

An additional 20 million is expected to be delivered in both February and March, as well as a minimum of 15 million in April and five million in May.

"This delivery of 70 million rapid tests is in addition to the 24 million already expected," the health ministry notes. "The first tests supplied will be produced in China, then gradually in Quebec starting in February, from the Montreal plant."

The government has been encouraging people who are not part of "priority groups" to take rapid tests instead of PCR tests, should they develop symptoms of COVID-19.

Priority groups include:

• People in hospitals;
•  Emergency room patients;
•  Health care workers in contact with patients;
•  Staff, residents, essential care workers and visitors in hospitals and different facilities;
•  Ambulance patients who may be COVID-19 positive;
•  Homeless people or those in precarious residential situations.

Government officials admit that access to rapid tests in Quebec has been precarious.

"If they cannot access these [rapid] tests, they should consider themselves COVID-19 positive and follow the isolation guidelines in place based on their vaccination status," the government notes.

MedSup Medical boasts four distribution centers in Canada -- in Montreal, Magog, Vancouver and Toronto.

The Quebec government notes the company is a medical supply wholesaler certified by Health Canada and the rapid test project will only go ahead after proper authorization by public health bodies.