COVID-19 testing centres here to stay despite low case counts

Despite a drop in the number of Ottawa residents testing positive for COVID-19, testing centres will likely remain open through the summer and could ramp up by September, according to organizers of Ottawa's testing task force.

"I think that we have to not kid ourselves that there isn't still this potential risk," said Dr.KenFarion,the operations lead on the team behind Ottawa's testing strategy.

Farion, who is also an emergency physician at CHEO, eastern Ontario's children's hospital in Ottawa, said while there's clearly"light at the end of the tunnel," there remain concerns about spread of the delta variant.

The main issue is the number of people who have not been fully vaccinated or choose not to be vaccinated, leaving the potential for outbreaks, he said.

"It can smolder and then flare up at anytime. So this is a risk and we have to learn how to manage that risk," said Farion.

Ottawa's testing task force manages five assessment centres for testing, including a site at the Brewer Park arena for those younger than 18. There is also testing available at three community health centresanda pop-up site at the Vanier Community Service Centre.

Assessment centres also acceptappointmentsfor those seeking required tests for travel, but the patient needs to pay for that test.

The number of daily tests in Ottawa reached an all-time high on April 14with close to 4,000 swabs sent to labs for analysis. By June,the number of tests dipped to below 1,000 perday with frequent days below 700.

Farion said the combination of the lockdown, the closure of schools, plus an increase in vaccinations likely led to lower testing numbers, but test totals have inched back up since Ontario entered the second stage of reopening two weeks ago.

On Monday, there were1,017swabs processed from Ottawa testing centres, according to the task force.

Should COVID-19 testing sites remain open as cases fall? Why this resident says yes

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Aidan Fritz, who works in health-care, says its good to have access to a testing centre to rule out a COVID-19 infection when he has symptoms that could be markers of the disease.

Access to testing needed

Dr. Farion said positive case numbers have not increased, but the need for testing could continue to surpass 1,000a day as more people return to workand children get involved in activities like camp, which forces anyone with symptoms to get tested as part of COVID-19 protocols.

Amber McOuattsays she is happy to see access to testing remain available. She has brought herfive-year-old son for fourtests during the pandemic.

"That way if we need to test our children, we can book them the same day," said McOuatt, whose son neededa negative test result to attenda special day-school.

The province ultimately pays the costs associated with testing, but most of the staff come from Ottawa hospitals. The pressure has begun to buildto repatriate health-care workersto help alleviate the pandemic backlog in patient-care demands.

Farion says the city remains committed to offer as many as 1,600 tests a daywith no change anticipated while testing needs remain above a thousand a day.

"If [community] demand drops ...we'll look to further decrease that capacity."

Organizers expect an increase in testing demand as children get set to return to in-person learning, but there are many unknowns, according to Farion, such aswhich symptoms force children to be tested, and whether those who are fully vaccinated will require a test at all.