People with worsening COVID-19 symptoms may benefit from a Clinical Assessment. A Nurse Practitioner will conduct the clinical assessment, including assessing oxygen saturation, vital signs and identifying relevant risk factors. Following the assessment, the patient may be sent home, could receive a prescription or possibly be referred to the Emergency Department for further evaluation.

You should self-isolate & self-monitor at home.

• Fever and or/chills
• Cough or barking cough
• Shortness of breath
• Decrease or loss of taste

And of two of:

• Muscle aches/joint pain
• Extreme tiredness
• Sore throat
• Runny or stuffy/congested nose
• Headache
• Nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea

Book an appointment at our COVID-19 Assessment Centre.

• Mild symptoms are worsening
• Directed by healthcare professional

These are the symptoms that the COVID-19 clinical assessment centre are designed to treat.

Call 911 or go directly to the emergency department.

• Severe difficulty breathing
• Severe chest pain
• Feeling confused
• Losing consciousness

The provincial government has changed the guidelines surrounding the eligibility of PCR testing. To be eligible to receive a PCR test at the Twin Bridges Nurse Practitioner Led COVID-19 Clinical Assessment Centre, you must meet one of the following criteria:

If you have COVID-19 symptoms:

You are eligible for PCR testing if you have at least one COVID-19 symptom and you are:

• A hospitalized patient.
• A patient in an emergency department, at the discretion of the treating clinician.
• A patient-facing health care worker or a member of their immediate family.
• A staff member, volunteer, resident, inpatient, essential care provider, or visitor in a hospital or congregate living setting (including long-term care, retirement homes, First Nation eldercare lodges, group homes, shelters, hospices, temporary foreign worker settings, and correctional institutions).
• A household member of workers in the highest risk settings above.
• An outpatient being considered for COVID-19 treatment.
• Temporary foreign worker in living in a congregate setting.
• Under-housed or homeless.
• Someone who has been exposed, or a close contact of someone exposed, to a confirmed or suspected outbreak in a high-risk setting, including a hospital, long-term care, retirement home, other congregate living setting or institution, or other settings as directed by the local public health unit.
• Pregnant.
• A first responder, including firefighters, police, and paramedics.
• An elementary, secondary student, or education staff who has received a PCR self-collection kit, if available through your school.

If you do not have symptoms, you are eligible for PCR testing if you:

• Are from a First Nation, Inuit, Métis community, or are travelling into these communities for work.
• Are being admitted or transferred to or from a hospital or congregate living setting
• Are someone who has been exposed, or a close contact of someone exposed, to a confirmed or suspected outbreak in a high-risk setting, including a hospital, long-term care, retirement home, other congregate living setting or institution, or other settings as directed by the local public health unit.
• Are having a surgical procedure and require a PCR test.
• Have written prior approval for out-of-country medical services from the General Manager of OHIP or are a caregiver for someone who does.
• Are in a hospital, long-term care, retirement home or other congregate living settings, as directed by public health units, provincial guidance, or other directives.

If you do not qualify under the criteria above, you are NOT eligible for a PCR test at our facility. If you require further assistance, click here for more information.

Based on the Ontario Government’s current COVID-19 testing guidelines, we are assessing individuals for COVID-19 testing based on the following:

• Symptomatic Patient-facing healthcare workers or their immediate family
• Symptomatic Staff, volunteers, residents/inpatients, essential care providers, and visitors in hospitals and congregate living settings, including Long-Term Care, retirement homes, First Nation eldercare lodges, group homes, shelters, hospices, temporary foreign worker settings, and correctional institutions.
• Symptomatic outpatients for whom COVID-19 treatment is being considered, including those 70 and older who have a risk factor including obesity (BMI ≥30), dialysis or stage 5 kidney disease (eGFR <15 mL/min/1.73 m2), diabetes, cerebral palsy, intellectual disability of any severity, sickle cell disease, receiving active cancer treatment, solid organ or stem cell transplant recipients, or 50 and older if First Nations, Inuit, or Métis with any of those risk factors
• Symptomatic people who are under-housed or homeless
• Symptomatic elementary and secondary students and education staff who have received a PCR self-collection kit through their school

• First, determine if you require a COVID-19 test by completing a self assessment.
• Do not seek testing at multiple COVID-19 assessment centres, as this will result in delayed access and delayed test results for all.
• You will need an appointment to get a test at all assessment centres. Before booking your appointment with us, please review the eligibility information above.

• People who are from First Nation, Inuit, and Métis communities and individuals travelling into these communities for work.
• People on admission/transfer to or from a congregate living setting.
• High-risk contacts connected to confirmed or suspected outbreaks in highest risk settings, including hospitals, long-term care, retirement homes, other congregate living settings and institutions, and other settings as directed by the local public health unit.

If you or someone you live with gets a positive result on a rapid antigen test, you no longer need to book a PCR test to confirm your results.

If you are fully vaccinated and otherwise healthy, or are under 12 years old, isolate for five days starting when the symptoms began or from the date of the test, whichever came first. Those who are not fully vaccinated or are immunocompromised must isolate for 10 days.
A positive result:

• Is a good indication that you have COVID-19.
• Does not need to be confirmed by a PCR test.
• Does not need to be reported to a public health unit unless otherwise directed by public health.

A negative result:

• On a single test cannot rule out COVID-19 infection by itself.
• If you have symptoms, should be followed by a second test 24 to 48 hours later if available. If your second test taken within 48 hours of your first negative result is also negative, this most likely means you do not have COVID-19.

When visiting the COVID-19 assessment centre, please follow public health measures, including wearing a face covering and maintaining physical distance from people outside your household or social circle.