COVID-19 Assessment Centre at Met Campus Opens
5-12-2020
Windsor Regional Hospital.is.opening the COVID-19 Assessment Centre at Met Campus to the community, providing local individuals who meet criteria for testing at a hospital-run testing facility a second option in the City of Windsor.
The Met Campus COVID-19 Assessment Centre will open on Tuesday, December 8, 2020, weekdays only from 7 am to 3 pm. Hours at the Ouellette Campus COVID-19 Assessment Centre remain 8 am to 7 pm on weekdays and 9 am to 4 pm on weekends and statutory holidays. The Met Campus COVID-19 Assessment Centre had been open for a two-day span in November to accommodate testing of students from Frank W. Begley Public School. This is the first time the Met Campus COVID-19 Assessment Centre will be open for testing to the general public.
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.
For details on whether you qualify for a COVID-19 test at the Met or Ouellette Campus, please go to the WRH Assessment Centre online.
There has been an issue lately with respect to people booking appointments and failing to attend their appointment. This has resulted in approximately 70 plus appointments being left opened and not used. If you need to cancel your appointment please call 519-973-4443 Monday thru Friday 9 am to 5 pm to cancel.
Our region also continues to be served by a third assessment centre continuing to test patients at Erie Shores Healthcare, which takes online bookings here. The ESHC COVID-19 Assessment Centre is open 9 am to 6 pm, seven days a week.
The decision to open the Met Campus COVID-19 Assessment Centre is based on a recent rise in demand for tests by those who meet the criteria for testing plus the recent switch to requiring LTC visitors to be tested weekly. There are multiple pharmacies now that are accepting appointments to test asymptotic persons. Please go online to book an appointment at the many pharmacies that are open to test asymptomatic persons.
"We planned in advance to ensure we have the capacity in place for any significant increases in demand for COVID-19 tests or for space for patients should our existing hospitals become overwhelmed," said Karen Riddell, Vice-President, Critical Care, Cardiology, Stroke, Trauma and Clinical Support Services."Having the Met Campus COVID-19 Assessment Centre constructed and put in place this fall, as well as having the continued opportunity to access the St. Clair College Sportsplex for various needs, has served our region well in terms of being prepared for any dramatic shifts in health care needs over the course of this pandemic."
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 dropped significantly to under 250 per day. However, in the last seven days, volumes at the Ouellette Campus COVID-19 Assessment Centre have regularly surpassed 400 individuals per day, reaching a single-site peak of 540 individuals on December 1st.
Between the Met and Ouellette Campus COVID-19 Assessment Centres, WRH can accommodate more than 750 tests per day. Current capacity should once again allow for same-day appointments so long as people cancel their appointments if they decide not to attend anymore. Adequate staff are now available to open the Met Campus COVID-19 Assessment Centre on a five-days-per-week basis.
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 discolouration 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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