Testing for COVID-19: Test supply
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What Canada did
Testing and screening, along with personal protective measures and vaccination, are important tools that were used to limit the spread of COVID-19 and its variants.
Provinces and territories are responsible for testing. This responsibility included managing and distributing COVID-19 rapid tests within their jurisdiction based on local priorities, epidemiology and regulations. Details on the availability of COVID-19 tests can be found on the provincial or territorial COVID-19 websites.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of Canada managed a federal inventory of rapid tests to prepare for emergencies. Rapid tests from that inventory were made available for free to provinces and territories to distribute when their supplies were depleted.
Additional tests were donated to federal organizations, charities, non-profits and public institutions.
Health Canada also explored a number of options to deploy and divest surplus tests. For example, we donated surplus tests internationally to reduce wastage and make the best use of public funds.
The Government of Canada only disposed of surplus tests when:
- all other opportunities were exhausted
- tests could not be distributed because they were damaged or had expired
Disposal was done following sound financial and environmental principles.
Testing options
Health Canada reviews applications from manufacturers to assess the safety, effectiveness and quality of their testing devices before they are authorized for sale in Canada.
In the case of COVID-19, manufacturers had to prove that the testing device was safe and effective for its intended use before it was authorized. For example, for self-testing COVID-19 kits, the manufacturer needed to prove that a person can use their test safely and effectively without being supervised by a health care provider.
We authorized several types of COVID-19 testing devices.
Learn more about authorized testing devices:
Expiry date
Rapid tests are medical devices, which means they have an expiry date. This is known as a shelf-life. Health Canada authorizes the shelf-life of rapid tests and has granted several shelf-life extensions.
The expiry date is determined by the manufacturer and is printed on the labelling during the manufacturing process. However, expiry dates may be impacted by shelf-life extensions even after products have been distributed. People are advised to contact the manufacturer of their rapid test to confirm its expiry date.
Rapid test distribution
On behalf of the federal government, Public Services and Procurement Canada purchased hundreds of millions of COVID-19 rapid tests to distribute across the country. These purchases ensured that Canada could increase testing capacity with authorized, proven and effective technologies.
Learn more about our rapid test agreements and the types of COVID-19 rapid tests purchased.
Procurement decisions were made based on demand projections, in consultation with provinces and territories. We also wanted to ensure there was enough supply in the event of an emergency throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Canada contributed millions of free tests, including more than:
- 680 million free tests to provincial and territorial rapid testing programs
- 13 million free tests to private-sector workplaces
- 8 million free tests to vulnerable populations, including Northern, remote and isolated communities
These rapid tests were used by provinces and territories in hospitals and other health care settings, schools and workplaces. They were also used by communities and the general population. Our federal supply of rapid tests also meant that the provinces and territories could build up significant reserves if necessary.
There was a delay in reporting the deployment of COVID-19 rapid tests due to the time it took for tests to be:
- shipped and delivered to provinces and territories
- distributed throughout each jurisdiction
The Government of Canada's role in procuring rapid tests as part of our support through the COVID-19 pandemic ended in December 2022. Canada supported jurisdictions, businesses and vulnerable populations' testing needs while federal inventory lasted. However, federal distribution activities have wound down. The numbers in the following tables were updated in July 2023.
These tables show the number of COVID-19 rapid tests that were:
- received from suppliers and shipped to provinces and territories as of July 10, 2023
- distributed by provincial and territorial governments as of June 16, 2023
- distributed by the federal government to workplaces, community groups and non-profit organizations as of July 4, 2023
Shipment and distribution of COVID-19 rapid tests in Canada:
Shipments in Canada by company/product
| CompanyFootnote * name | Product name | Tests received from suppliers | Tests shipped to provinces/territories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abbott Rapid Diagnostics ULC | Panbio COVID-19 Ag Rapid Test | 152,036,460 | 125,812,148 |
| Abbott Rapid Diagnostics ULC | ID Now Covid-19 | 7,023,024 | 5,777,000 |
| Artron Laboratories Inc | ARTRON COVID-19 ANTIGEN TEST | 48,702,801 | 43,208,181 |
| Becton Dickinson Canada Inc. | BD Veritor™ System for Rapid Detection of SARS-CoV-2 | 12,256,290 | 9,986,860 |
| Btnx Inc | Rapid Response COVID-19 Antigen Rapid test Device | 404,050,760 | 372,439,945 |
| BioLytical | Istatis COVID-19 Antigen Home Test | 5,000,015 | 4,999,800 |
| CanAm Scientific Inc. | SARS-COV-2 Rapid Antigen Nasal SD Biosensor | 1,663,700 | 438,120 |
| Lucira Health Inc. | Lucira CHECK✓IT COVID-19 Test Kit | 689,268 | 397,808 |
| Maverin Inc. | ACON Flowflex SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Rapid Test | 41,000,000 | 32,985,300 |
| MSS | Flowflex SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Rapid | 5,000,000 | 0 |
| Precision Biomonitoring Inc. (Canada) | Triplelock SARS-CoV-2 Tests | 3,506,000 | 3,506,000 |
| Quidel Canada ULC | Sofia SARS Antigen FIA | 850,000 | 73,200 |
| Quidel Canada ULC | QuickVue At-Home OTC COVID Test | 16,500,000 | 6,242,150 |
| Roche Diagnostics | SD Biosensor SARS-CoV-2 Rapid Antigen Self Test NASAL | 38,642,297 | 12,926,597 |
| Switch Health Holdings Inc. | SD Biosensor, Inc Standard Q Covid 19 AG Nasal Test | 60,350,000 | 55,991,325 |
| Trimedic Therapeutics | COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test / Assuretech | 7,857,080 | 7,857,080 |
| 2San Healthcare Group Inc. | PCL Self-Test Covid-19 Ag | 250,000 | 240,750 |
| Total | 805,377,695 | 682,882,264 | |
Footnotes
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Shipments to, distribution and inventory by provinces and territories
| Province/territory | Tests shipped to province/territory | Tests distributed by province/territory | Estimated inventory by province/territory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alberta | 77,604,516 | 44,544,846 | 33,059,670 |
| British Columbia | 84,136,366 | 54,993,451 | 29,142,915 |
| Manitoba | 24,626,907 | 17,654,825 | 6,972,082 |
| New Brunswick | 18,521,234 | 18,373,577 | 147,657 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 9,557,845 | 4,970,465 | 4,587,380 |
| Nova Scotia | 24,270,478 | 15,155,497 | 9,114,981 |
| Northwest Territories | 774,986 | 405,405 | 375,341 |
| Nunavut | 780,746 | 253,128 | 509,576 |
| Ontario | 264,028,391 | 207,792,575 | 56,309,016 |
| Prince Edward Island | 3,819,978 | 2,877,708 | 942,270 |
| Quebec | 142,278,152 | 101,514,185 | 40,763,967 |
| Saskatchewan | 31,760,783 | 26,567,808 | 5,192,975 |
| Yukon | 734,164 | 462,291 | 271,873 |
| Total | 682,882,264 | 495,565,761 | 187,389,703 |
| Note: The difference between tests shipped to and deployed by provinces/territories may be an under- or over-estimate of actual inventories. This is because some provinces and territories may procure their own tests, and reporting on deployment varies. | |||
Federal allocation
As of October 24, 2023
| Recipient | Tests shipped |
|---|---|
| Private-sector workplacesFootnote * | 14,000,070 |
| Federal departments/ agencies, RCMP, Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), workplaces | 7,135,445 |
| Community groups and non-profit organizationsFootnote ** | 8,739,756 |
| Total | 29,875,271 |
Footnotes
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