Richmond residents with symptoms of COVID-19 will be able to get tested over the holidays.
The Richmond Test Collection Centre will be open on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day, according to Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH).
The drive-through testing site is located in the jetSET parking lot at 5911 North Service Rd. near the airport.
However, the Richmond Hospital Walk-In Collection Centre will be closed on Dec. 25, Dec. 26 and Jan. 1, according to VCH.
Holiday hours for collection sites are available on VCH’s website.
Last week, B.C. announced it was modifying its testing strategy to focus on four key symptoms and to ensure that those who most need to get tested do so.
“There are four symptoms that have shown, when we look at the data of people who have been tested, that are very much associated with COVID,” said Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry during a Dec. 17 media briefing.
These four key symptoms are fever/chills, a cough, loss of sense of smell or taste and difficulty breathing.
Meanwhile, people with two or more of the following symptoms for more than 24 hours is advised to seek testing:
- Sore throat
- Loss of appetite
- Extreme fatigue or tiredness
- Headache
- Body aches
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea
“What we want to do is focus where people know they need to get tested immediately,” Henry said last week.
“If you’ve not been around anybody that has COVID, we’re updating the guidance to make it clearer for people. It’s not that you can’t get a test, but there are certain people that we want to get a test right away.”
Anyone who is a close contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case and has any symptoms is also advised to get tested.
