The COVID-19 Rapid-Testing Explainer

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Rapid antigen tests are cheap, easy and deliver results in just minutes. And their mass distribution is being touted by experts as something that will be crucial to helping society return to normalcy. In this episode we interview two of their pioneers. With her pilot program in Halifax bars and restaurants, infectious disease specialist Dr. Lisa Barrett was among the first in Canada to deploy pop-up testing on a mass scale. And author Joshua Gans spearheaded the thinking behind Canada’s largest rapid testing pilot, led by the Creative Destruction Lab, where Joshua is the chief economist. By exploring the perspectives of these pioneers, guest host Dr. Peter Nord investigates an important new COVID-19 containment tool.</span></p> <p><strong>Links, references and highlights:</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A</span> <em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Globe and Mail</span></em> <span style= "font-weight: 400;">story on Dr. Lisa Barrett’s rapid testing trial</span> <a href= "https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-nova-scotia-discovers-grassroots-success-with-covid-19-rapid-test-kits/"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">in Halifax bars and restaurants</span></a></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Creative Destruction Lab’s</span> <a href= "https://www.cdlrapidscreeningconsortium.com/"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Rapid Screening Consortium</span></a></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One of the most popular rapid antigen tests is the Abbott Panbio.</span> <a href= "https://www.globalpointofcare.abbott/en/product-details/panbio-covid-19-ag-antigen-test.html"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Learn more about it</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A</span> <em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">New York Times</span></em> <span style= "font-weight: 400;">story on Canadian rapid-testing efforts</span> <a href= "https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/30/world/americas/canada-coronavirus-rapid-test.html"> <s