Health Unit Provides Details On New PCR Testing Policies

Hello time traveller!!
This article is 1060 days old.
The information listed below is likely outdated and has been preserved for archival purposes.

The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit is providing details on the new provincial guidance that was announced Thursday for PCR testing.

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
• 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 elder care lodges, group homes, shelters, hospices, temporary foreign worker settings and correctional institutions)
• an outpatient being considered for COVID-19 treatment
• 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
• an elementary or 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, or Métis community or are travelling into these communities for work
• are unvaccinated and 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
• 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 setting, as directed by public health units, provincial guidance or other directives

Not eligible for PCR testing but have symptoms of COVID-19?

• Isolate with your household for five days if you are fully vaccinated and otherwise healthy or are under 12 years old.
• If you are not fully vaccinated or are immunocompromised, isolate for 10 days.
• If you were exposed to someone with COVID-19, follow the guidance outlined by the Ontario government at https://www.ontario.ca/exposed.

The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit is working closely with leads for local assessment and testing centres, Windsor Regional Hospital, Erie Shores HealthCare, and other health care partners to respond to this shift in direction and ensure that residents of Windsor-Essex receive timely communication and direction.

The new rules are effective December 31st.