Here's where Windsor-Essex residents can access free COVID-19 rapid tests

Windsor, Ont. -

Two Windsor LCBO locations have been selected as pop-up sites to provide free COVID-19 rapid tests to residents as part of a ‘holiday testing blitz.’

Premier Doug Ford alongside Health Minister Christine Elliott, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Kieren Moore and Solicitor General Sylvia Jones announced the Ontario government will provide the tests free of charge at locations across the province on Wednesday amid rising COVID-19 cases and concern over the Omicron variant.

“To provide an additional layer of protection against COVID-19 and variants during the holidays, we've launched a holiday testing blitz as part of our winter testing strategy,” Elliott said.

“Starting today, at pop-up locations, such as malls, holiday markets, public libraries and transit hubs, Ontarians will be offered either a take-home rapid test kit or be provided rapid antigen screening on site.”

Take home rapid tests will be made available at the LCBO stores at the Roundhouse Centre on Howard Avenue and Tecumseh Road and Lauzon Parkway.

Sign shows rapid tests are not available at the LCBO location at the Roundhouse Centre in Windsor, Ont., on Friday, Dec. 17, 2021. (Michelle Maluske / CTV Windsor)

A recorded message at both locations says the tests are currently out of stock, and a sign at the Roundhouse Centre location says the tests are not available.

Leadership at the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit welcomes additional rapid test kits, but believes there is already sufficient local testing capacity.

“The one thing to consider in Windsor-Essex is we have excellent capacity at the current time,” says acting medical officer of health Dr. Shanker Nesathurai. “We welcome all the approaches to try and bring COVID19 under control.”

“I don’t think we can test our way out of this wave,” said Chatham-Kent medical officer of health Dr. David Colby on Thursday morning. “I think the most important thing is to get everybody vaccinated.”

Colby says there are also many opportunities in Chatham-Kent to get tested between the hospital’s testing centre and various pharmacies. 

“Access to testing has not been a problem in Chatham-Kent like it has in some other communities,” Colby explains he believes more provincial pop-up testing locations will eventually be announced. “Optimize everything within your power to keep yourselves and your families and your friends safe. That would be my wish for everyone at Christmas.”

Twitter’s COVID Test Finder founder Dr. Dalia Hasan tells CTV News the initial holiday rollout is a missed opportunity, believing every household in Ontario deserves a rapid antigen test kit as soon as possible.

“It’s great to get more rapid tests into the hands of Ontario’s residents, however there’s still a huge inequity piece,” Hasan says. “COVID is a lethal virus and can have devastating both short and long term consequence, so distributing rapid tests to only one in every seven Ontarians is just not enough.”

The Ontario government said it will be making the tests available starting with “the busiest stores this week and with more stores being added in the coming days.”

Locations and operating hours will be updated weekly, and no appointments will be required.

A full list of LCBO locations where Ontario residents can pick-up free rapid tests is available here.

- With files from CTV Toronto’s Abby Neufeld and CP24’s Chris Fox.