B.C. has dropped all pretense of COVID testing as part of its overall strategy in the pandemic, except for those who are at highest risk. After two years of being told to be hypervigilant about even the mildest symptoms, it is jarring to hear explicitly that testing is off the table.
It’s hardly the image of raising the flag of victory we once dreamed of when vaccination would lead us to herd immunity. It feels more like a white flag of admission that, because of its drastically higher transmissibility and shorter incubation period, Omicron has rewritten the playbook, and testing is no longer a wise use of resources in infection control.
That may be so from the BCCDC’s point of view but the rest of us, our brains have been rewired. Previously, a positive test came with explicit instructions about what to do and for how long. Today, the advice is to simply assume we have COVID-19 and stay home until we feel better, which leaves a great deal up to individual interpretation. That advice has also changed frequently in recent weeks. The uncertainty is tough to live with. Other jurisdictions at least have greater access to rapid antigen tests at home.
No testing means no reliable indication of local case numbers and no ability for individuals to make informed decisions about what is and is not worth the risk.
Even if it is the best public health policy at this point, the communication from the province has, as usual, created more anxiety than it needed to.
And we are left to hope, as they say, that Omicron ends not with a bang but a sniffle.
