Premier Doug Ford’s recent plea that more Ontarians get tested for COVID-19 — even if they don’t have symptoms — has already led to a dramatic increase in the number of people being tested at the Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) COVID-19 Assessment Centre.
According to hospital vice-president Dr. Lynn Mikula, the centre tested 93 people Monday (May 25) — its highest one-day total to date.
“I hope the number of tests being done will continue to go up,” said Dr. Mikula during a media briefing on Tuesday (May 26).
On Sunday (May 24), Ontario Premier Doug Ford made a public plea for the people of Ontario to get tested for COVID-19, following up on comments he made earlier in the week.
“If you are worried if you have COVID-19, or that you’ve been exposed to someone who has COVID-19, even if you’re not showing symptoms, please go get a test,” Ford said on Sunday.
That message has apparently resonated with Peterborough area residents, according to Dr. Mikula.
“In the early going, when the testing criteria was restricted, we were seeing 25 people a day. In recent weeks, it’s been between 30 and 50 people daily. Over the weekend and yesterday, we took appointments for people who are asymptomatic or concerned they had been exposed.”
“We’re getting close to reaching our capacity in the assessment centre. We’re exploring an alternate option with Peterborough Public Health and Peterborough Paramedics. We’re hoping to announce something about that very soon.”
Dr. Mikula noted the testing of asymptomatic people involves “a quick drop-in kind of testing.”
“Currently when you come to the assessment centre, you do see a physician and you undergo a medical assessment,” she said. “This alternative will not have the physician and the full medical assessment. It’s for people who don’t have symptoms and just need to get a swab done.”
To date, the PRHC Assessment Centre has tested more than 5,000 people since it opened early on during the pandemic. An appointment with the centre can be made by calling 705-876-5086. That number is open to call seven days a week, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Meanwhile, the hospital continues to treat one COVID-19 patient in its intensive care unit.
As of Tuesday morning, there have been 81 positive COVID-19 cases detected in Peterborough city and county, Curve Lake, and Hiawatha, with 71 of those cases now resolved. More than 7,200 people have been tested for the virus in the region.
One thing that was a major concern for the hospital appears to be righting itself.
“Volumes through the emergency department are increasing bit by bit and we’re getting back close to what we normally expect to see,” said Dr. Mikula who, a few weeks back, urged those requiring emergency care to come to PRHC for that care without worrying about COVID-19 infection.
Dr. Mikula added the hospital is targeting early June for a “gradual, measured ramp-up” of non-urgent care pending provincial approval.
“We’re working with our partners on a co-ordinated regional approach,” she said. “All hospitals remain under a provincial directive to keep non-urgent care at a minimal level. While we await the lifting of this directive, we’re continuing to plan and prepare.”
“PRHC will be resuming non-urgent care in a phased manner with an abundance of caution and oversight in a number of key areas and will continuously monitor the impact on the hospital and the health care system before moving on to the next phase. At times, we may need to scale back on non-urgent care volumes again as COVID-19 activity in our community fluctuates.”
Non-urgent, or elective care, is “something that can wait potentially months or longer” explained Dr. Mikula, while semi-urgent care involves conditions that will continue to progress unless treated.
She said that, as the hospital will set priorities according to the level of clinical urgency as it assesses patients.
“It is a stable condition? Is it a condition that needs treatment to halt its progression? Is it an urgent condition that we need to deal with in 24 to 48 hours?”
