A coronavirus testing site is already in place at the Confederation Bridge.
Chief public health officer Dr. Heather Morrison said the site has been set up since Tuesday, working in consultation with the trucking industry. The focus on testing long-haul truck drivers is part of the Island’s efforts to expand testing beyond those who are exhibiting symptoms of the coronavirus (COVID-19 strain).
“It was particularly due to travel schedules. It would be challenging for many of these long-haul truckers to get to swabbing clinics in Charlottetown or Summerside. They're sometimes not in Prince Edward Island for too long," Morrison said.
Last week, Morrison announced testing criteria would expand to include some targeted asymptomatic populations, including truck drivers who reside in the province, temporary foreign workers, long-term care residents upon admission and health-care workers. Anyone in P.E.I. who exhibits symptoms, such as a fever, cough, sore throat, congestion or unusual fatigue can be tested and is encouraged to call 811.
On Thursday, there were no new cases of the coronavirus on P.E.I. The province has had a total of 27 cases, all of which have been travel-related. Close to 3,000 tests have been conducted with no sign of community transmission.
Beginning Friday, May 1, P.E.I. will begin to reintroduce some health services, such as some elective surgeries, cancer screenings and cardiac supports.
Marion Dowling, Health P.E.I.’s chief of nursing, said hospitals will still remain below full capacity for the foreseeable future, in order to prepare for a possible surge of COVID-19 cases.
“We would have to do those things with a plan to also regain that capacity, should it be needed in a very short period of time," Dowling said.
Morrison also briefly addressed the topic of serology tests. The tests search for proteins in the blood, known as antibodies, which are produced after the body fights off a virus. Some researchers have suggested the serology tests could identify immunity to the coronavirus, but the quality and accuracy of many of these tests have been questioned. They are not currently in widespread use in Canada.
Some provinces, including B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan, have begun investigating serological tests.
"We will continue to watch that, but it is not actively being done broadly in the country at this point in time," Morrison said.
"We don't know how long immunity really lasts with COVID-19. So, there's a lot of research to be done in that area as we go forward."
Dr. Greg German, a medical microbiologist who has been leading P.E.I.’s diagnostic testing efforts for COVID-19, told The Guardian many serology tests often produce a high proportion of both false negatives and false positives.
"We don't have as much confidence in the results," German said.
"If you apply the serological test on P.E.I. on a group of people who have a very low chance of having it, what actually ends up happening is the test ends up failing more often than it's doing it appropriately."