Lower than expected volumes has resulted in the Kincardine location of the COVID-19 Assessment Centre decreasing the number of hours it will operate.
On Saturday, March 28, the Centre reduced its hours to 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., seven days per week. When the Centre first opened on March 19, 23 people were seen and 19 on March 20. Since then, approximately 10-13 people have utilized the site.
“It’s a good sign that people are heeding the advice of Public Health officials and staying home and isolating if they have mild symptoms,” explains Michael Barrett, president and CEO of the South Bruce Grey Health Centre. “By reducing the hours of operation for the Assessment Centre, we are confident that we will continue to meet the needs of the community while reserving our health care human resources for when we need it most.”
There are three centres, located in Kincardine, Hanover and Owen Sound, offering assessment and screening for people who are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19. Due to limited supplies of swabs, only high-risk patients are tested.
The Assessment Centres are open to people who are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and are having difficulty managing at home. These people are asked to first use the online COVID-19 self-assessment tool to evaluate their symptoms. This can be found at www.ontario.ca/coronavirus.
If people are experiencing mild symptoms, and can manage at home, they are asked to stay at home and self-isolate. They do not need to come to the Assessment Centre. Information on self-isolation is also available on the www.ontario.ca/coronavirus, as well as information for caregivers and other family members in the home.
If people have symptoms, and are struggling at home, they should come to an Assessment Centre.
People who are very ill should go to the nearest emergency department or call 911.
People who are not showing symptoms should not go to the Assessment Centre.
Once screening at the Assessment Centre is complete, the patient will be sent home to self-isolate and monitor their symptoms, unless they are deemed critically ill and require hospitalization. The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, cough, and difficulty breathing. Most patients will experience mild symptoms, and recover fully without treatment, within two weeks.