COVID-19 referral-only screening clinics are now open on the North Island.
The Island Health clinics in Port Hardy and Port McNeill are taking appointments.
Don’t call or go to a clinic unless you’ve been referred by a doctor or 811 nurse.
The BC Centre for Disease Control says that you should be tested if you have respiratory symptoms and are:
- hospitalized, or likely to be hospitalized;
- a health care worker;
- Live in a long-term care facility;
- and part of an investigation of a cluster or outbreak
Island Health is working in partnership with the Ministry of Health and the BC Centre for Disease Control to respond to COVID-19.
Island Health says it’s actively working to open more clinics across Vancouver Island to increase its ability to test patients,
You don’t need to be tested if you don’t have symptoms. The exception is health care workers with COVID-19 infection who require a negative test after symptom resolution to return to work.
Don’t call if you have mild respiratory symptoms that can be managed at home. This includes returning travellers with an onset of illness within 14 days of returning to Canada.
If you are experiencing symptoms (such as new fever, dry cough, difficulty breathing) or are worried that you’ve been exposed to COVID-19, the BCCDC has an online self-assessment tool. Click here to access it.
You can also call your doctor or call HealthLink BC at 811 to be assessed.
At the clinics, a triage nurse will assess referred patients over the phone to see if an appointment is needed.
You can find more details at the BCCDC’s website or Island Health’s website.
