Halton Healthcare Services
Ramp up the services at OTMH COVID 19
The province's testing capacity has been severely tested over the past week, as students returned to schools and their parents returned to work.
In order to ease the pressure on the province's capacity to test upwards of 40,000 people per day, Dr. Barbara Yaffe, Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health issued the following statement outlining updated COVID-19 testing guidelines for Ontario:
"Publicly-funded testing will be available and easily accessible for those who are symptomatic, have had close contact with a confirmed case, or are part of an outbreak investigation. In addition, testing will continue to be available on a targeted basis for specific asymptomatic individuals who are at greater risk due to their health condition or employment, at the direction of the Ministry of Health or the Ministry of Long-Term Care. Evolving our testing guidance in this way will support timely access to testing for those who need it.
Effective immediately, Ontarians should only seek testing at assessment centres if you are:
- Showing COVID-19 symptoms;
- Have been exposed to a confirmed case of the virus, as informed by your public health unit or exposure notification through the COVID Alert app;
- A resident or work in a setting that has a COVID-19 outbreak, as identified and informed by your local public health unit; and
- Eligible for testing as part of a targeted testing initiative directed by the Ministry of Health or the Ministry of Long-Term Care.
Starting on September 25, you can get tested for COVID-19 at select pharmacies if you are not showing symptoms and eligible for testing as part of a targeted testing initiative directed by the Ministry of Health or the Ministry of Long-Term Care.
Our best defence against COVID-19 is still to follow all public health measures like practicing physical distancing, wearing face masks and staying home when ill even with mild symptoms, so we can stop the spread.
As Ontario continues to fight the spread of COVID-19, Ontario's Testing Strategy Expert Panel and Public Health Ontario will continue to actively review testing guidelines.
Testing continues to be available at any of the province's 150 assessment centres currently open, and at participating pharmacies starting this Friday. To find the closest pharmacy or assessment centre, please visit Ontario.ca/covidtest."
At this time there are no participating pharmacies in Oakville. The only assessment centre in Oakville continues to be the one operating out of Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital.
