B.C. preparing to more than double current testing capacity, as demand and case numbers go up

By fall, B.C.'s health minister says the province intends to raiseits COVID-19 testing capacity from 8,000 whereit is now to 20,000 people a day.

Adrian Dix said Wednesdaythe increase should help B.C. meet increased demand fortesting as the province heads into the cold and flu season. The disease caused by the novel coronavirusoften presentssimilar symptoms to these wintertime ailments.

The announcement comesas case numbers are climbing again.

"By extending hours of service and adding new locations, we are helping ensure that assessment and testing is broadly available to people experiencing symptoms, when they need it,"Dix said in a newsrelease.

Dr. Victoria Lee, the president and CEO of Fraser Health,and Dr. Elizabeth Brodkin, the health authority's interim chief medical health officer, addressed reporters during a teleconferenceon Wednesday about expanding accessto ensure people who are experiencing symptoms can quickly get assessed and tested if they need to.

"I know that some have expressed concerns or frustrations that they were turned away, but we are currently seeing about 30 per cent of people that do not have symptoms that are coming to our assessment and testing sites, and those people are not indicated for COVID-19 testing," Lee said.

Only those with symptoms or those directed by medical practitioners should be getting tested, Lee said.

The province is still seeing a low rate of positive tests ranging from one to three per cent which showtesting is being done broadly, she added.

A number of reasons are drivingthe need to ramp up testing, she said, such as more new cases being identified, workplace requirements, people wanting totravel and those who are simply curious based on previous possible exposure to the virus.

Lee said some patients have complainedabout long wait-times, butpointedout that the B.C. Centre for Disease Control warns on its website that people can wait several hours for a test.

Fraser Health Authority outlines expanded testing

The health authority on Wednesday laidout the followingsteps for the coming days and weeks:

• Two new drive-thru lanes at the Burnaby centre.
• Increased staff at the Langley centre and extended hours of operation from8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
• Expanded operating hours from9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. seven days a week at the Abbotsford centre.
• Standardized service delivery model and data collection across all sites.
• Establishment of temporary high-volume testing and assessment centres in Surrey and the Fraser northwest area.
• Centralized pre-booking and pre-registration process to provide people with telephone and online access to book appointments and access information about wait times.

The health authority outlinedseveral steps it has already taken, which include:

• Setting up greeters to triage lines in Langley and Burnaby, so only people with symptoms are in line to be assessed and possibly get a test.
• Bringing in more staff onsite and extending operating hours fromnoon to 8:30 p.m. every day at the Burnaby centre.
• Adding more operating hours from8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays at the Delta centre.
• Opening the Chilliwack centre on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon.
• Setting up traffic control in Langley to streamline testing services.
• Creation ofa testing-only line at the Surrey-Whalley Urgent and Primary Care Centre for those who have been directed by medical practitioners to get tested without receiving an assessment.

New testing site opens in Vancouver

Vancouver Coastal Health announced Wednesday that a new testing site on East Seventh Avenue between Keith Drive and Glen Drive will be open daily to the public from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on a first-come, first-served basis.

People can walk, roll or drive in without an appointment or referral, a statementfrom the health authority states.

"Identifying new cases of COVID-19 in a timely manner is important to help prevent community spread of the virus and this new assessment centre will contribute to those efforts," it reads.

Those who show upwill be assessed prior to getting a test.

Vancouver Coastal Health says itis continuing to monitor cases throughout the region, and testing is not recommended for people without symptoms.

In the next couple of weeks, the news release says,another new assessment centre is expected to open, and someexisting sites in Richmond and elsewhere will be open longer.

Anyone who is wondering if they need to be considered for a test can use theonline COVID-19 Self-Assessment Tool.

Anonline dashboard shows the different collection centres, which can be filtered by region, to find the closest and most convenient place to get tested.

Vancouver Coastal Healthlists the following symptoms of COVID-19:

• Fever.
• Chills.
• Cough or worsening of chronic cough.
• Shortness of breath.
• Sore throat.
• Runny nose.
• Loss of sense of smell or taste.
• Headache.
• Fatigue.
• Diarrhea.
• Loss of appetite.
• Nausea and vomiting.
• Muscle aches.

Less common symptoms include:

• Stuffy nose.
• Conjunctivitis, also known as pink eye.
• Dizziness or confusion.
• Abdominal pain.
• Skin rashes or discoloration of fingers or toes.