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Rapid testing GeneXpert kits for Covid on way to NWT after Spartan Cubes recalled

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Health authorities with the GNWT still plan to introduce the GeneXpert point-of-care test kits for Covid-19 after the Spartan Cube kits were recalled from the market on Sunday due to efficacy concerns.

Four GeneXpert kits are expected to be operational in the NWT in a few weeks, said Department of Health and Social Services (HSS) spokesperson Mike Westwick on Monday. The kits can process results in a clinic or hospital in less than an hour and they don't have to be sent to an outside laboratory.

"We are certainly disappointed by these developments with the Spartan Cube system. However, this isn’t a significant setback in the context of our overall strategy – we believe the GeneXpert units will be sufficient to carry out a significantly expanded community surveillance program and get a good idea of how, or whether, Covid-19 is moving within our territory quite quickly," Westwick said.

HSS had ordered seven Spartan Cubes.

The swab testing method currently used in the NWT takes up to one week to yield results, which are processed at a laboratory in Edmonton.

HSS has conducted at least 1,812 tests for coronavirus, with 36 tests pending, as of Monday.