Clients at Ottawa Sexual Health Centre, community health centres and mobile public health units will soon be able to get HIV test results while they wait.
Ottawa’s gays can already get preliminary results for gonorrhea and Chlamydia at the sexual health clinic in the same visit as the test. But the new “point of care” tests will add HIV to the list of STIs with same-visit results.
Unfortunately, Ottawa will have to wait out the spring before anyone gets while-you-wait results. The test is not available yet, because public health officials are still waiting for the supplies needed to train and certify staff.