Walk-in tests coming to an end
Facing overwhelming demand, it’s back to appointment-only testing
The days of anyone in Niagara who wants a COVID-19 test being able to get one at the drop of a hat is about to come to an end.
Starting Monday, Niagara Health is moving back to an appointment-only testing system following new testing protocol changes announced by the provincial government.
Niagara residents can still get a COVID-19 test without a referral from a doctor or the public health department but after Sunday the assessment centres will not take walk-ins.
“We’re being overwhelmed to the point where we have had to turn patients away,” said Derek Mcnally, executive vice-president clinical services at Niagara Health. “I came to work at 6:45 this morning, and there were already 20 cars lined up and the assessment centre doesn’t open until 9 a.m.”
Like the rest of the province, the Niagara Health centres in St. Catharines, Niagara Falls and Welland have seen a massive increase in demand for testing in recent weeks, causing a slow down in the ability of labs to process all the results.
Mcnally said Niagara Health conducted more than 10,300 tests in all of August. By Wednesday — when some 879 tests were done — they had already surpassed that number.
The lineups have become so long that patients have to wait hours to be screened, and in some cases told to come back another day.
“It is frustrating for them and frustrating for our staff,” Mcnally said.
He said demand was steady and slowly rising through the summer but once universities, colleges and schools reopened, combined with more people returning to work, the number of people wanting a COVID-19 test exploded.
In response, the provincial government has changed the rules around how tests are done on Thursday. Those with no symptoms, do not have a risk of exposure to the novel coronavirus or are not part of a group that needs to be tested regularly, such a long-term-care home employees, will not be given a test.
Mcnally said Niagara residents can still call the Niagara
Health assessment centres if they want a test. They will be screened when they call and if they do not meet the criteria for a test, they will not be given an appointment.
The provincial government is allowing for some asymptomatic testing to be done in some drug stores. However, no Niagara drugs stores are part of that program yet.
The change is being done to reduce wait times for tests and ensure the testing process is more effective.
According to Niagara’s acting medical officer of health, Dr. Mustafa Hirji, broad-based asymptomatic testing is not effective and contributes to backlogs at labs which slow down the processing of swabs.
Testing for COVID-19 is most likely to achieve an accurate re
“We were certainly disappointed not to see a whole lot, if anything in there, in terms of getting our economy reopened from a tourism and hospitality point of view,” Allison said.
Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati echoed the concern.
“Tourism and hospitality were hit first, and we were hit the hardest,” Diodati said. “With the borders still closed, concerns still abound. We’re anticipating a lifeline from the federal government to help us get through until we can get past COVID.”
He said the industry that employs 40,000 people in the region needs “support to make sure that we’re on stable footing when tourism returns.” Governor General Julie Payette did, however, mention further support for hardest hit industries — including tourism.
St. Catharines MP Chris Bittle said the government’s response to the pandemic will remain the top priority in the year to come, while “gaps in society” exposed by the virus will be addressed.
“For those who have already been struggling, the pandemic has made it more difficult. I think it’s important that we show Canadians that the government is focused on COVID-19,”
he said. “Our best economic strategy is to deal with the crisis first, but there’s a path out of it and it’s an opportunity to address the gaps that exist in our society.”
That includes tackling issues like chronic homelessness, childcare, and universal pharmacare.
Allan Benner is a St. Catharinesbased reporter with the Standard. Reach him via email: allan.benner@niagaradailies.com