Six dedicated COVID-19 assessment centres to open in the GTA and Ottawa
Health Ministry says locations were chosen because they are all in areas experiencing "a significant growth in testing."
The Ontario government is going to open six dedicated COVID-19 assessment centres over the next few days in response to the global pandemic.
The first batch of assessment centres will be located in the GTA and in Ottawa, areas the government said has been experiencing significant growth in testing.
The province said they are being established to rapidly expand screening and to ease pressures on hospital emergency departments.
Health Minister Christine Elliot said that facilities will be located in separate buildings close to the hospitals they are associated with.
“It is really meant to take the pressure off the hospital emergency departments and to keep the people who may have COVID-19 separate from the general hospital population because you don’t want it spreading there.” said Elliot. “We have six that are ready to open in the next few days with more to open next week as well. We know that it is important to ramp them up.”
The assessment centres will be located at The Ottawa Hospital, William Osler Health System’s Peel Memorial site, Mackenzie Health in Richmond Hill, North York General Hospital and within the Scarborough Health Network and Trillium Health Partners network in Mississauga.
