Will you be tested for COVID-19? That depends on where you live FROM the Toronto Star
By Kenyon Wallace Investigative Reporter
Patty Winsa Data Reporter
Thu., April 9, 2020

Assessment centres in several parts of the province are denying COVID-19 tests to some people who say they meet the criteria, even as the premier says his “patience has run thin” that the province is not testing to its capacity of 13,000 tests per day and that we should be testing “everyone possible.”

Hayley Chazan, spokesperson for Health Minister Christine Elliott, meanwhile, told the Star there is no plan for “widespread testing.” That, she said, would only cause a new round of lab test backlogs.
It’s the kind of mixed messaging that’s led to confusion and concern for people including 21-year-old Caleigh Fera.
Fera, an Oakville resident who developed a fever with a sore throat and cough, was referred for testing by Halton Public Health on Thursday. But when she arrived at the assessment centre at her local hospital, she was told she wouldn’t be tested.
“What worried me was the shortness of breath and chest pain,” said Fera, a student at Sheridan College’s program for technical production for the performing arts.

The province announced Wednesday that it was scaling up its testing to include more at-risk groups, including new admissions to retirement homes or nursing homes, as well as residents of those facilities who have symptoms. The new guidelines also include symptomatic health-care workers and front-line responders, according to a release from the health ministry that outlined the expanded testing guidelines.
But the province also said that where there were limited testing resources, as there have been at times since the start of the pandemic, priority should be given to people who had been referred for testing by individual public health units.
The guidelines appear to include Fera. She figured she was a prime candidate for testing, not only because she was presenting symptoms but also because she had several underlying health conditions — a heart murmur that requires close monitoring, as well as respiratory issues.

Dr. Neil Rau, medical microbiologist and infectious diseases specialist at Halton Healthcare, said the testing criteria continues to evolve as the availability of testing expands in Ontario.

He did not comment specifically about Fera’s case.

“When Ontario ran into a problem of limited testing availability and long turnaround times, in consultation with Halton Region, our hospital limited testing to those who work with the most vulnerable people, such as health-care workers or those who work in long-term care who might unwittingly spread the virus to vulnerable people,” he said.
A Star survey of testing policies at individual public health units also reveals a variety of different criteria for who is eligible for testing, leaving some to wonder what they’re supposed to do if they think they have the virus.

Public health units such as Chatham-Kent said their criteria included travellers who have been to an affected area and had symptoms, as well as people who had been in contact with a probable or confirmed case.

And the William Osler Health System, which operates assessment centres in Brampton and Etobicoke, says online that it tests people who have mild symptoms of an upper respiratory tract infection or flu-like illness in combination with a number of factors, including if they are over 60, immunocompromised or have been referred by public health due to contact with a confirmed or probable case.
The province has said before that there is a global shortage of testing kits. Chazan, the health minister’s spokeswoman, said Thursday there were no critical shortages at any of the province’s assessment centres, which are being run by hospitals.

And Dr. Barbara Yaffe, associate chief medical officer of health for Ontario, said “currently we’re not short of any testing materials. Now, that may not stay that way forever, but that is currently the situation.”
But Toronto’s public health unit said it is limiting testing to people who may spread the virus to large groups. When asked why, Dr. Vinita Dubey said in an email that “the prioritization of certain groups is occurring now as there is a shortage of testing kits (swabs) across the province.”

Lambton County Public Health also said it follows the provincial criteria, but that it may be “applied differently depending on the setting and the availability of swabs.”

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COMPARE AND CONTRAST SUDBURY'S APPROACH
HSN plans to test hundreds more for COVID-19, opens drive-thru testing today'The site is designed to protect health workers and patients alike from being exposed to the virus'
 
2 h By: Sudbury.com Staff

Following calls from Premier Doug Ford to ramp up testing efforts across the province, Health Sciences North plans to tests hundreds of more people for COVID-19 in the coming weeks. 

As part of increased testing efforts, HSN will be introducing a drive-thru testing option at COVID-19 Assessment Centre at 56 Walford Rd., beginning on Friday, April 10. 
The site is designed to protect health workers and patients alike from being exposed to the virus, said a press release from the hospital.
The COVID-19 Assessment Centre (including the drive-through screening) is by appointment only. For safety reasons, “walk in” appointments are strictly prohibited. 
 
If you have ANY of the following symptoms, phone the Assessment Center at 705-671-7373: fever or chills, sore throat, new onset or worsening fatigue, new onset or worsening cough, loss of taste or smell, loss of appetite, headache, muscle aches, runny nose, nausea or diarrhea and shortness of breath. 
If you are having difficulty breathing or experiencing other severe symptoms, phone 911 immediately, the hospital said. Advise them of your symptoms and travel history.