COVID-19 Testing Expanded for Priority Sectors

Following new provincial guidelines, the testing criteria have been expanded in the Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU) region so that more people in priority sectors can undergo COVID-19 testing at assessment centres.

“Increasing the number of individuals who get tested will play an important role in informing us on the status of the virus in our community,” says Dr. Paul Roumeliotis, Medical Officer of Health at the EOHU. “Coupled with the level of hospital use and ICU admissions, testing results can help us better gauge the level of threat that COVID-19 poses to our population.”

Testing has been expanded to include individuals in the categories listed below if they have at least one symptom of COVID-19. The province has recently updated and expanded the list of symptoms associated with COVID-19. Visit the EOHU’s website for the updated list of symptoms.

• Persons working in congregate (group) living settings and institutions
• Healthcare workers or staff who work in healthcare facilities
• Caregivers and care providers
• First responders such as firefighters, police, and paramedics
• Persons living in the same household as healthcare workers and staff working in healthcare facilities/caregivers and care providers/first responders
• Members of indigenous communities
• Patients requiring frequent contact with the healthcare system (including pregnant women and persons with illnesses that need ongoing treatment)
• Essential workers
• Cross-border workers

If you don’t fall in one of the categories above, but have COVID-19 symptoms, you may still need to be tested. To learn more, visit the If You Have Symptoms of COVID-19 page on the EOHU’s website at EOHU.ca/coronavirus. You can also check out the Ontario Ministry of Health’s updated COVID-19 Self-Assessment Tool at Ontario.ca/coronavirus.