St. Clair College Assessment Centre Closing - COVID-19 Testing To Consolidate At Ouellette Campus
29-10-2020
As part of continuing and ongoing efforts to periodically adjust the hours of operation to better reflect recent reductions in volumes for COVID-19 testing, WRH has made the decision to close the COVID-19 Assessment Centre at the St. Clair College Sportsplex, after the last scheduled test is conducted on Friday, October 30.
All outstanding scheduled tests at the Sportsplex will be accommodated at the Ouellette Campus COVID-19 Assessment Centre.
A facility to house an assessment centre at Met Campus is ready to open should volumes warrant. Additionally, the Sportsplex - thanks to the continued generosity of our outstanding community partners at St. Clair College - remains available to reopen as a field hospital should circumstances once again necessitate its use.
"Our local testing capacity puts us in an enviable position to make adjustments depending on fluctuations in demand for tests," said Karen Riddell, Vice-President, Critical Care, Cardiology, Stroke, Trauma and Clinical Support Services. "We will continue to monitor our testing needs and we are ready to open the Met Campus assessment centre with short notice should the need for a second COVID-19 Assessment Centre arise."
As announced on October 2, 2020, WRH, along with all Ontario hospitals and in compliance with new provincial requirements, moved from an open "walk-in" system for individuals seeking COVID-19 tests at our Assessment Centres to a revised system where it is necessary to schedule an appointment. For the two weeks prior to this change WRH averaged approximately 447 persons a day receiving testing. Since the change this daily average being tested at both the Ouellette Campus and St. Clair College Sportsplex COVID-19 Assessment Centres has dropped and in the last seven days has averaged about 200 per day.
The Ouellette Campus has capacity for more than 330 tests per day and amid current volumes can accommodate same-day appointments.
Hours at the Ouellette Campus COVID-19 Assessment Centre remain unchanged – 8 am to 7 pm on weekdays and 9 am to 4 pm on weekends and statutory holidays.
In order to schedule a COVID-19 assessment appointment you can go online on your mobile device or computer (using Safari or Chrome) and select a certain date/time for your appointment or by "first available time." The schedule has been adjusted for the latest changes in hours of operation. Please have your health card in hand when booking on-line or calling in.
Visit the WRH Assessment Centre online or details on whether you qualify for a COVID-19 test at the Ouellette Campus.
If you are asymptomatic and meet certain criteria you can book an appointment at a local Shoppers Drug Store for COVID-19 testing.
Please note, if you are tested at the COVID-19 Assessment Centre, someone will contact you directly if the results are positive for COVID-19.
You will also be able to access your results online and remember to download the COVID-19 Alert App.
As a reminder, if someone has mild to moderate respiratory symptoms or other symptoms that may be related to COVID-19, they should contact their primary care provider first. If the symptoms are serious, such as severe difficulty breathing, severe chest pain, feeling confused, or losing consciousness, please call 911.
For children having difficulty breathing, making crowing/high-pitched breathing sounds, bluish discoloration around the mouth, lethargy (very sleepy), not responding, or having seizures, please call 911.
If symptoms are not serious and you do not have a primary care provider, here are some resources to find a primary health care provider or obtain support at home:
Another option is to complete an online assessment. If you are worried that you may have COVID-19 or may have been in contact with someone who has COVID-19 complete the assessment online.
Please continue to visit www.ontario.ca/coronavirus or www.wrh.on.ca for regular updates on COVID-19.
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