While Alberta has encouraged all teachers and staff to book a COVID-19 test before school starts in a couple weeks, that’s not something that B.C. is looking at doing.

“It’s not an option that the science tells us we should take,” said Deputy Provincial health Officer, Dr. Réka Gustafson, who says health officials in the province have been clear that testing doesn’t work as effectively on asymptomatic people.

“So basically what you find is that neither a positive test nor a negative test tells you a great deal in that situation.”

Gustafson says asking such a large group of people to also get tested, whether or not they have symptoms, would mean an extremely lowered positivity rate.

“We look at the evidence very thoroughly and make decisions based on what is likely to make a difference,” she added. “One of the things we know about testing people who do not have symptoms is that the yield or the positivity rate is extremely low.”

B.C. has done widespread testing in the past – including at the Mission Institution, where ultimately there 120 positive COVID-19 cases out of 298 tests. There were just over 4,200 tests done yesterday. Eighty came back positive, leading to a positivity rate of about 1.9 per cent.

As it stands, schools reopen on September 8, while students are set to go back on September 10.

I am pleased to see increases in our daily #COVID19AB testing numbers. I anticipate this is, in part, due to teachers and school staff choosing to be tested.

I continue to encourage all teachers and school staff to get tested before the start of the school year.

— Dr. Deena Hinshaw (@CMOH_Alberta) August 21, 2020