Expanding COVID-19 Testing Across Ontario

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Monday, 13 April 2020 07:15

Looking to further prevent the spread of COVID-19, the provincial government is implementing its next phase to expand and enhance testing significantly.

ONTARIO - The Province is implementing its next phase to significantly expand and enhance testing.

Ontario will be proactive in testing several groups, on top of the ongoing testing of the general public at any of the 100 assessment centres now established across the province.

The following groups will include:

- Hospital inpatients;

- Residents of long-term care and retirement homes;

- Health care workers, caregivers, care providers, paramedics, and first responders, including police and firefighters;

- Remote, isolated, rural and Indigenous communities;

- Other congregate living centres, including homeless shelters, prisons and group homes;

- Specific vulnerable populations, including patients undergoing chemotherapy or hemodialysis and requiring transplants, as well as pregnant persons, newborns and cross-border workers; and

- Other essential workers, as defined by provincial orders.

Premier Doug Ford explains how expanded testing will impact residents in Ontario.

"We're laser-focused on ramping up our testing capacity so we can protect the most vulnerable in our communities and those who protect them, like our frontline health care workers and first responders. By expanding our testing capacity, we will be able to find cases faster, intervene earlier, reduce the spread, and save lives."

By using this strategy, Ontario expects to double the number of tests processed each day to 8,000 by April 15th and 14,000 by April 29th, at which point overall lab capacity will have been further expanded.

Deputy Premier and Minister of Health Christine Elliott says testing is important, especially for people who live in a long-term care home and frontline workers.

"By significantly increasing the number of tests each day, we will identify cases early, contain them and prevent putting more people at risk. Doing so is especially important for priority groups like hospital inpatients, long-term care home residents and our brave frontline health care workers and first responders, all of whom are more vulnerable to being exposed to this virus. Nothing is more important than protecting their health and well being."

This testing strategy follows extensive efforts to expand Ontario's lab testing capacity, which helped to quickly eliminate a backlog of approximately 10,000 people within less than two weeks.

Same-day testing results have been re-established by the Province, which is made accessible to patients through a new user-friendly online portal. The portal will help ease pressure on public health units and frontline workers, allowing them to focus their efforts on fighting against COVID-19. The provincial government is also helping to significantly expand the capacity of public health units to conduct contact tracing and case management, both of which are critical to preventing the spread of the virus, enabling the use of volunteers including retired nurses and medical students.

People who have tested negative for COVID-19 must still follow all precautions, including staying at home unless they have to pick up essential supplies like groceries and prescriptions. They must also keep at least two-meters apart from others. While an individual may receive a negative test at any moment, the individual is still able to contract and spread the virus.

You can visit here to learn how the Province is continuing to protect people in Ontario from COVID-19