his document provides testing information for COVID-19 variant of concern (VOC) screening by PCR as well as COVID-19 lineage surveillance by whole genome sequencing (WGS) at Public Health Ontario (PHO). The causative agent for COVID-19 disease is the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
The test information described below is limited to COVID-19 variant screen and surveillance testing. For other testing modalities, please refer to the following links:
- Routine COVID-19 PCR testing: Public Health Ontario Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) – PCR Test Information
- COVID-19 serology testing: Public Health Ontario Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) – Serology Test Information
- COVID-19 antigen testing: Ontario Ministry of Health COVID-19 Clinical Assessments and Testing – Rapid Antigen Tests Information
Who to test:
COVID-19 VOC screening by PCR is only available by request when required for clinical or public health management. Testing is not routinely recommended and variant screening is not recommended for treatment decision making.
WGS may be performed on targeted specimens upon request (see details below). Ongoing COVID-19 lineage surveillance by WGS is performed on a subset of all specimens positive for COVID-19 by routine PCR across Ontario. The proportion of positive specimens selected for WGS may vary depending on operational capacity.
Updates (May 2022):
VOC screen testing indications have been clarified to reflect that it is only performed upon request.
Entire content available on: https://www.publichealthontario.ca/en/laboratory-services/test-information-index/covid-19-voc
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Canada