Switch Health and the Greater Toronto Airports Authority launch new departures COVID-19 testing service

Built on the findings from federally funded research, the new departures testing service is the latest protective layer in Toronto Pearson's award-winning Healthy Airport program.

TORONTO, July 14, 2021 /CNW/ - Switch Health and the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) today announced that they are bringing COVID-19 testing services to Toronto Pearson. The tests, conducted by Switch Health, are an important protective layer in Pearson's award-winning Healthy Airport program and are available to both departing passengers and members of the community who are not travelling but need access to testing services. Arrivals testing continues to be required and conducted by Switch Health in partnership with the government of Canada for international arriving passengers.

In collaboration with the GTAA Healthy Airport program, Switch Health will sell COVID-19 testing services to all consumers at a new on-airport clinic located in Value Park Garage (VPG), open from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. Consumers and passengers can book tests in advance via Switch Health's booking portal: switchhealth.ca/healthyairport  

Switch Health's testing will be supported by some of the most technologically advanced tools available, including AI-enabled health monitoring solutions. This will be driven by Switch Health's secure, proprietary patient portal, ASMO, which has successfully been used in the administration of over one million COVID-19 tests in Canada.

Gold standard RT-PCR COVID-19 tests will be available either through expedited 3-6 hour or standard 12-24 hour turnaround times and rapid antigen tests will be available with results in under 30 minutes. Pre-departure tests are currently required for entry into the United States and United Kingdom, as well as most other countries around the world.

The service first became available on July 12, 2021. Tests will be available through Switch Health in a traditional clinic setting on Level 3 of the VPG, as well as by drive-through on Level 1 of the VPG.

The testing service builds upon a research study conducted at Toronto Pearson earlier this year that was supported in part by funding from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP). This research explored the efficacy of testing in a high-throughput, commercial environment, proving that it could be successfully operationalized at Canada's largest airport.

"Canada must be extra vigilant to continue to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and its variants, and we are doing so with a permanent onsite testing facility at Toronto Pearson Airport to deliver rapid results," said Dilian Stoyanov, Chief Executive Officer at Switch Health. "Whether Canadians are travelling abroad, coming home, working at the airport, or are visitors, we want everyone to be confident that they are safe and protected with advanced in-house testing that will set the standard for international transport hubs."  

"As we work towards global pandemic recovery, it is critically important that airports provide services that enable safe, responsible travel," said Dwayne MacIntosh, Director, Corporate Safety & Security Governance, GTAA. "We undertook a significant piece of research, funded by the Government of Canada, to show that this kind of testing could be successfully operationalized in a high-throughput airport." 

The Healthy Airport program is globally recognized, with Toronto Pearson being the first Canadian airport accredited under the Airports Council International (ACI) Airport Health Accreditation program. The program protects passengers and airport workers by using innovative new technology, advanced cleaning measures, and best-in-class standards to create a multilayered defense that limits the spread of COVID-19.

Switch Health has been at the forefront of Canada's fight against COVID-19, providing at-home and mobile COVID-19 testing services at airports and ports of entry across Canada.

Both Switch Health and the GTAA plan to continually adapt to meet and exceed the demands of a rapidly evolving pandemic environment, exploring new innovations to meet the needs of our passengers, employees, and the community.

About Switch Health

Switch Health Holdings Inc. (Switch Health) is an industry leader that is transforming how healthcare is delivered in Canada through cutting-edge decentralized next-generation diagnostics and patient-focused digital solutions. Switch Health developed an end-to-end, innovative, and accessible testing solution in Canada's fight against COVID-19, with its at-home and mobile collection kit to test Canadians safely, rapidly, and reliably for COVID-19. Switch Health's services are driven by its secure, proprietary patient portal, ASMO. Switch Health offers its gold standard of rapid and PCR testing in over 200 languages from the comfort peoples' homes or workplaces, with the guidance of trusted healthcare professionals and the delivery of results through some of Canada's top laboratories. 

About the Greater Toronto Airports Authority

The Greater Toronto Airports Authority is the operator of Toronto – Lester B. Pearson International Airport, Canada's largest airport and a vital connector of people, businesses, and goods. Toronto Pearson has been named "Best Large Airport in North America serving more than 40 million passengers" for four years in a row by Airports Council International (ACI), the global trade representative of the world's airports. In recognition of its Healthy Airport program, ACI also awarded Toronto Pearson the "Best hygiene measures in North America" award, and Toronto Pearson was the first Canadian airport to receive ACI's global health accreditation for its response to COVID-19.

For more information, please visit Toronto Pearson on Twitter (English and French), Facebook, or Instagram.

SOURCE Switch Health Inc.

Media Contact, Switch Health: Jordan Paquet, Vice President of Public Affairs, [email protected], 613-790-2456; Media Contact, GTAA: [email protected]