Ontario coronavirus patients no longer need tests to confirm they've been "resolved"

Ontario patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 will no longer need tests to confirm if they are negative after the 14 day self-isolation period.

On Wednesday, Dr. Barbara Yaffe, the province’s Associate Medical Officer of Health, confirmed, “if the case is not hospitalized, they’re not a health care worker, they recover, they feel fine and it’s been 14 days since they became ill, we’re saying they can be considered resolved.”

Yaffe said public health units were informed of the change this week.

Before, the protocol was to have patients take two tests 24 hours apart to ensure the individual tested negative.

As Ontario sees positive cases exponentially increase, Chief Medical Officer Dr. David Williams said that the province is in the peak time of incubation for a number of people who are returning from their travels.

He noted that the peak time will continue until the at least the end of the week.

Williams also noted that Canada is in a time of “intense adherence to physical and social distancing” telling everyone to stay at home unless it is “very urgent.”

There has also been greater access to online self-assessment tools, Telehealth Ontario, and primary care units to answer individual’s questions.

As of March 26, the province has confirmed 170 new known cases of coronavirus, bringing the total up to 858 confirmed cases.

This marks the largest single-day jump since the coronavirus began to spread in Ontario — a record that has continuously been bested.

Eight cases have been resolved, and 13 are now deceased. There are also 10,965 cases currently under investigation.