In August 2021, it was announced that asymptomatic testing for COVID-19 in pharmacies was limited to provincial or national programs, or for testing for the purpose of outbound international travel. As a result of the changing COVID-19 situation in Alberta, regulated members may now conduct asymptomatic testing for individuals who require a negative test result for the purposes of
- travel,
- employer requirements,
- complying with the Restrictions Exemption Program, or
- other purposes deemed necessary through the course of their patient assessment.
As a reminder, pharmacists should not be testing individuals who are symptomatic.
If the result of an asymptomatic test is positive or if a symptomatic individual requests a test, pharmacy teams are advised to refer the individual to Alberta Health Services (AHS) to book a test with AHS either through the online self-assessment or by calling 811. When referring a patient to AHS with a positive test result, it is not necessary to forward the result of the test to AHS.
