Health Sciences North sets up COVID-19 swab clinic near hospital

Health Sciences North says it is setting up an assessment centre to test and swab people who may be infected with COVID-19.

The centre will be at the HSN research institute at 56 Walford Road.

In a release sent Friday afternoon, the hospital said assessments will be provided by appointment only. Walk-up patients are strictly prohibited.

According to the the hospital, the goal of taking the clinic off hospital grounds is to ease the "significant number of patients presenting themselves to the Emergency Department at HSN."

Individuals must meet the following criteria for an assessment centre appointment:

Symptoms:

• Fever (over 38 degrees Celsius) and/or cough (new or worsening)

and

• Exposure History within the last 14 days prior to onset of symptoms:
• Travel outside of Canada
• Travel to an impacted area within Canada.
• Until March 18th, this includes attendance at the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) 2020 conference in Toronto.
• Had close interactions with a confirmed or probable case of COVID-19
• Had close interactions with someone who has symptoms of COVID-19 who recently travelled outside of Canada or to an impacted area within Canada

To receive an appointment at the centre, patients first need to complete an assessment by telephone. They will then be triaged by a nurse at HSN. Those patients will be given an appointment time at the COVID-19 Assessment Centre.

Individuals meeting the criteria must call HSN's assessment centre at 705-671-7373 between the hours of 9:00 am and 5:00 pm, 7 days per week,

The hospital said the centre is funded by the Ministry of Health, and among the first to be opened in Ontario.