The Ford government will soon start distributing free COVID-19 rapid tests through Ontario grocery stores.
The province will be expanding a free rapid test program through grocery stores provincewide, sources told CTV News Toronto Tuesday.
Approximately five million tests will be available per week through the stores, sources said, and one kit containing five tests will be available per family per visit.
While free rapid tests were distributed at malls around the holidays, the tests have been hard to come by as case numbers have soared in the province.
At the same time, the government began limiting PCR tests in December due to a shortage in testing materials. Currently just a select group of people are eligible for PCR tests, including health-care workers, pregnant people, first responders, those at risk of severe illness from COVID-19 and others.
Ontario has received 80 million rapid tests to date, and has so far distributed 75 million across a variety of sectors, including health care, education, and retail.
The province expects to start handing out 16 million rapid tests per week, including the roughly 5.5 million to be distributed through the grocery stores, sources said.
More details about the plan are expected to be released on Wednesday.
Ontario’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table also released a video Tuesday with instructions on how to properly take a rapid test at home.
- With files from CTV News Toronto’s Colin D’Mello
