CONCERED CITIZENS GETTING TESTY ABOUT COVID TESTING
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com
HUNTSVILLE — As phones rang off the hook at the Shoppers here today, concerned citizens are getting testy about wider COVID-19 testing and who and where to go to get the fastest swab.
A day after Premier Doug Ford was here promising quicker access to coronavirus testing at pharmacies, getting through to book an appointment was frustratingly slow.
However, if you had persisted it paid off.
But Friday’s first day of testing is already booked up — as it is reportedly the first pharmacy in the province to debut testing. (Shoppers Drug Mart in Alberta has already begun the same testing.)
In a bid to clear up confusion around “asymptomatic” testing — people showing no symptoms — the province provided new testing guidelines today.
So, where should you go — a pharmacy, a drive-through or the permanent testing sites?
The province announced its latest testing update Thursday, Sept. 24, to “prioritize those who are at the greatest risk, while shifting away from untargeted asymptomatic testing.”
Janine van den Heuvel, executive director, of the Algonquin Family Health Team, which is back to co-managing a three-day-a-week COVID test centre at the Summit Centre’s Active Living Centre, passed along the latest Ministry of Health guidelines:
Ontarians are being asked to go to Assessment Centres only if they:
- Are showing COVID-19 symptoms;
- Have been exposed to a confirmed case of the virus, as informed by their public health unit or exposure notification through the COVID-19 app;
- Are a resident or worker in a setting that has a COVID-19 outbreak, as identified and informed by their local public health unit; or
- Are eligible for testing as part of a targeted testing initiative directed by the Ministry of Health or the Ministry of Long-Term Care. Ontario Health will continue to notify Assessment Centres of any targeted testing.
Starting tomorrow, Sept. 25, Ontarians can book an appointment to get tested for COVID-19 at up to 60 pharmacies in Ontario, including only in Huntsville in Muskoka.
- If they are not showing symptoms and are part of a vulnerable population.
Vulnerable populations include residents or workers in an at-risk setting such as a long-term care home, homeless shelter or other congregate setting. Additional pharmacy locations will be available in the continuing provincial rollout.
- Low risk, asymptomatic individuals should not be considered for COVID-19 testing.
To help Ontarians identify the appropriate testing site, assessment centres have been asked to update their website information to reflect the new guidance on who should get tested at an assessment centre.
Assessment centres are also asked to refer people who are not showing symptoms — and who fall within the criteria for asymptomatic testing — to the Ministry of Health’s website for a list of participating pharmacies Ontario.ca/covidtest.
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