Bragg Creek is home to a Sandstone Pharmacy and starting next week, it will be providing private, asymptomatic, COVID-19 PCR testing.

In order to receive the test you must:

  • Be asymptomatic (or not have any symptoms).
  • Make an appointment through the pharmacy.
  • Pay a fee of $149 plus GST, which will include documentation. 

Sandstone Pharmacies has partnered with CardiAi which has developed the Canadian made PCR test. The saliva samples will be taken at the pharmacy and sent to the CardiAi labs in Calgary.  

Vice President of Sandstone Pharmacies, Marco Casagrande says, “Back in the summer of 2020 we had 10 of our stores, many of them in the rural markets, that were active with the province in doing asymptomatic testing for the government. From that, there is still a large demand from people in those markets who wish to still have asymptomatic testing done, but they need it for the purpose of work-related testing, urgent travel those kinds categories of need. And they need documentation to go with it which was not readily available in the summer.”

Casagrande points out that the tests that were done in the summer were throat swabs and that the new PCR rapid test that will be offered is a saliva test and will be much less invasive. Essentially, as Casagrande puts it, “We are expanding our PCR COVID testing for private patients into the rural markets.”

Albertans will be able to choose from over 20 pharmacy and lab locations owned by Sandstone Pharmacies providing a strong rural presence for the service. Pharmacy locations include Calgary (YYC Airport, Glenmore Landing, City Centre, Crescent Heights, Fifth Avenue, McKenzie Lake, Dover, (multiple), Medicine Hat (multiple), Airdrie, Nanton, Blackfalds, Bragg Creek, Black Diamond, Innisfail (multiple), Hythe and Langdon. Click here for more information.