Ottawa's new drive-thru COVID-19 test centre opens Friday

Ottawa's new drive-thru COVID-19assessment centre is now taking appointments ahead of its Friday opening, according to the Ottawa Hospital.

The testing site is located at 300 Coventry Rd. in the parking lot of RCGTPark. It will beginseeingpatientsFriday at 11:30 a.m., a hospital news releasesaid Thursday.

The testing centre requires peopleto book an appointment between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. onlineatOttawa Public Health's website.

A maximum of four people per vehicle over age 14 can be tested and everypersonmust have their own appointment.

Dr. Alan Forster of the Ottawa Hospital said on CBC Radio'sOttawa Morning Friday the process should take five to 10 minutes.

Health officials have said that people with symptoms would be better off going to one of the city's care clinicsor the Brewer Park Arena assessment centre, since the new site at RCGT Park will only offer testing, not clinical assessment.

A temporary drive-thrusite was set up in March at the Queensway Carleton Hospital, but it closed once the first permanent assessment centre, the Brewer site,opened to the public.

There are conversations about if and how this drive-thru or pre-booking model could be set up in existing or new test sites depending how the RCGT Park launch goes, Forster said.