In Ottawa, some people reported waiting as long as six hours to be tested, while others, like the O’Tooles, waited for hours without ever getting in. The O’Tooles are in isolation awaiting test results after one of his staff members, with whom he had been travelling, tested positive for COVID-19 this week. House of Commons spokeswoman Heather Bradley said that since March MPs have had access to an on-call physician by phone, for any COVID-19 concerns, and now that physician can also arrange COVID-19 tests. “As the pandemic has evolved, the house administration has added additional services to cover the specific needs of members, including, on an exceptional basis, testing for COVID-19,” said Bradley. Health Canada has only approved molecular tests for COVID-19, which look for the genetic material of the novel coronavirus.

Source: National Post September 17, 2020 15:43 UTC