A drive-through COVID-19 assessment centre is opening in Richmond on Wednesday, so those in the city and surrounding areas can get screened and tested for the virus that has cause a global pandemic.
Located at 6820 Gilbert Rd., in the parking lot of the Richmond Tennis Club, the Richmond Assessment Centre (RAC) will replace the assessment centre at Richmond Hospital.
The RAC will be open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on Saturdays and statutory holidays from 9 a.m. to noon. The testing site will be closed on Sundays.
Those coming to the RAC will not need a referral or appointment and will be seen on a first-come, first-served basis.
Testing is recommended for anyone with cold, influenza or COVID-19-like symptoms, even if symptoms are mild. While the criteria for testing expanded recently, not everyone needs a test, according to Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH).
Someone with no symptoms doesn’t need a test. A health-care provider may also decide whether a person requires testing.
Originally, a plan was to set up a testing site at Thompson Community Centre, but VCH pulled those plans earlier this spring.
Assessment for testing, if indicated, will be conducted for those with symptoms of COVID-19 which can include new onset of: fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, runny nose, nasal congestion, painful swallowing, loss of sense of smell, headache, muscle aches, fatigue or loss of appetite.
All residents with symptoms may access any assessment centre in BC. To locate all collection centres visit the BCCDC website.
Current COVID-19 levels in Richmond, with only 88 test-positive cases so far and no new cases since mid-May.
But VCH pointed out identifying new cases of COVID-19 in a timely manner is important.
In particular, testing is strongly recommended for any individual with symptoms who has had contact with a known or suspected case of COVID-19 or returned from travel outside Canada within the previous 14 days.
For more information on COVID-19 and testing, please visit www.vch.ca/COVID19 or www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/testing.
