COVID-19 assessment clinic at civic centre aud to close Friday
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The COVID-19 assessment clinic at the civic centre auditorium will close at the end of the week, with testing moved to Brantford General Hospital.
“We’re just not seeing the volumes that we had anticipated,” David McNeil, president and CEO of the Brant Community Healthcare System, said Wednesday.
“We want to use our resources as efficiently as possible, so we’ll be closing down the civic centre clinic on Friday and doing all of our testing here at the hospital.
“We will, of course, keep the civic centre ready as an option should the situation change.”
The healthcare system, which operates BGH and the Willett urgent care centre in Paris, opened the civic centre clinic on March 25. Previously, COVID-19 testing was being done in BGH’s ambulatory care ward.
At that time, healthcare system officials expected high numbers of people needing to be tested and thought it best to have a second testing site.
As of noon on Wednesday, the two clinics have seen 660 people, of which 160 visited the civic centre, McNeil said.
Healthcare officials have taken swabs or tested 434 people, resulting in a testing rate of just under 66 per cent.
Anyone needing to access the clinic is required to follow the same process as had been previously laid out:
- Complete the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) self-assessment available through the Public Health Ontario website.
- If the self-assessment indicates that clinical assessment should be done, please contact your family doctor or call Telehealth at 1-866-797-0000.
- If your family doctor or Telehealth think you need to be seen at the assessment centre, call the BCHS hotline at 519-751-5818 for further assessment to ensure you meet the assessment criteria.
Asked how healthcare workers are faring under the pressure of the COVID-19 pandemic, McNeil said they are doing well but many are anxious as a result of media reports focusing on the available supply of personal protective equipment, such as surgical and N95 masks.
He said conservation measures have been introduced to ensure personal protective equipment is efficiently used.
The healthcare system is operating with a three- to five-day supply of personal protective equipment, which is OK, said McNeil. But he added that the ideal is a 30-day supply.
On Wednesday, the Brant County Health Unit reported there are now 17 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Brantford and Brant County.
Most of the people who tested positive are self-isolating at home with mild symptoms but three are in hospital, including two in critical care.
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