Hello Ward 8 Neighbours,
With new COVID-19 cases rising across the province, there has been a high demand for testing services over the last few weeks.
Public Health has provided an update on the various testing centres, how to access them and other pertinent information for residents.
For more details, please continue reading below…
Assessment and testing centres webpage for residents of Hamilton can be found at https://www.hamilton.ca/coronavirus/assessment-centres for locations, hours of operation and testing criteria.
From the City of Hamilton Medical Officer:
Expanded capacity at the East End Assessment Centre 2757 King Street E. – Starting w/o Sept 14. Expanded capacity and additional hours at the St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton run East End Assessment Centre.
Opened new testing centre at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton’s West 5th Campus – September 15. The testing centre operates Monday to Friday 4:30 to 7:30 pm / Saturday & Sunday 1 to 7 pm and has been put in place to replace the Drive-Thru COVID-19 Testing Centre at Dave Andreychuk Mountain Arena after it closes in mid-October. The decision to close the drive-thru testing centre was always the plan once winter months arrived.
Increased messaging and direction to encourage residents to book appointments for COVID-19 testing – September 22. With the dramatic surge in demand for testing, the assessment and testing centres were seeing about 1000 people per day, many of whom did not have appointments. Appointments are necessary to ensure the safety of both staff and attendees, have the most efficient use of time to get the most tests done, and ensure those at highest risk of having COVID are tested quickly.
Provincial announcement of expansion of testing to pharmacies – Ontario Expands COVID-19 Testing to Pharmacies – September 23. On Wednesday, the Provincial Government released a plan to offer testing to asymptomatic, low-risk people in the community by offering testing at local pharmacies. The provincial government is rolling out the program to designated “hot spots” first, and will be continuing to expand the program as they see fit. The timing for when this provincial initiative will be implemented in Hamilton has not been announced as of yet. View the announcement.
Launched online booking platform for COVID-19 testing – September 24. Residents requiring a COVID-19 test can book online by visiting www.HamiltonCovidTest.ca.
Moving to online booking increases residents’ ability to book appointments faster and at their own convenience. Online booking will help prioritize appointments for those people at greatest risk, symptomatic individuals and close contacts of confirmed cases. Walk-ins are still available, but the number of walk-ins tested at the assessment centres will be limited, and residents who come to a testing centre without an appointment may be asked to book one online.
The Public Health Services COVID-19 booking line will remain available for those who do not have access to book online and those who have accessibility needs. Public Health Services’ COVID-19 Hotline is 905-974-9848.
Provincial announcement updating testing criteria – Ontario Updates COVID-19 Testing Guidelines – September 24. Yesterday, the Provincial Government released further guidelines to prioritize testing, with assessment centers being reserved for those who are symptomatic, contacts, work or live in a setting that is in outbreak, or part of a targeted provincial testing initiative. View the announcement. Locally, St. Joseph’s Healthcare will be putting out a public message on September 25 advising of these changes, and the information will be placed on our website at www.hamilton.ca/coronavirus/assessment-centres. These new guidelines will increase capacity for those people at greatest risk, symptomatic individuals and close contacts of confirmed cases.
Hamilton Public Health COVID-19 Phone Line – September 25. The Public Health booking team will complete follow up today with the over 1500 outstanding voicemails from the backlog due to the surge in demand. Each caller will receive a callback with instructions for online booking, booking through the phoneline if there are accessibility issues, or to visit www.hamilton.ca/coronavirus if they have a question that is not related to booking. The recorded message will help residents book an appointment for a COVID-19 test faster and will help Public Health triage the requests at a much quicker rate.
Questions or Concerns?
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our office here.
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