LIMOGES, Ontario – The Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU) has announced that they have setup a temporary COVID-19 testing site at Calypso water park in Limoges, Prescott-Russell.
The drive-thru testing site will be manned by members of the Cornwall-SDG Paramedic Service and the Prescott-Russell paramedic service.
The EOHU opened this site in response to a high demand in testing, which frequently sees the nearby Casselman testing site at capacity and hour or so after opening on a daily basis.
“We’re opening the temporary testing centre in Limoges to alleviate the demand at our other testing centres,” said Dr. Paul Roumeliotis, Medical Officer of Health at the EOHU. “The number of individuals coming to our testing centres over the last few weeks has far surpassed our capacity. This new centre will increase access to COVID-19 testing for our region’s residents and shorten wait times.”
The Calypso testing site is the seventh testing site setup in the region, in addition to the availability of mobile and at-home testing provided by the paramedic services. The other testing sites are in Akwesasne, Alexandria, Casselman, Cornwall, Hawkesbury, Rockland, and Winchester. Several of these testing sites are by appointment only and their contact information can be found on the EOHU website.
“As the number of COVID-19 cases across our region and the province increases, having the ability to quickly perform testing and contact tracing will help us once again flatten the curve,” added Dr. Roumeliotis.
The EOHU has also changed the priority it is giving for individuals in need of tests to the following:
- Individuals with COVID-19 symptoms
- Individuals who have been referred by public health due to close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19
- Residents or workers in settings that have a COVID-19 outbreak, as identified and informed by their local public health unit
- Individuals who have been referred by a health care professional or need to get tested to meet Ministry guidelines (e.g. prior to a long-term care home visit)
