Testing for the novel coronavirus is now being conducted at the McLaren Park arena in Penticton.
Initially established as an outdoor assessment centre spearheaded by the South Okanagan Similkameen Division of Family Practice, services are being expanded to include COVID-19 testing.
The testing site, at 1350 King St., is operational by appointment-only from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Previously, testing was being conducted at the local health centre.
Family physicians and nurse practitioners are still providing primary care to local patients at the outdoor assessment centre in an effort to preserve personal protective equipment (PPE).
“It is important to note that all appointments at McLaren Arena, whether for primary care or for eventual testing, are by-referral only, and will be spaced out over the course of the day to allow for proper social distancing protocols,” the SOS Division of Family Practice said in a news release.
Spokesperson Heather Allen says the public living or travelling nearby McLaren Park Arena continue to be at no greater risk, as the site allows for all the safety protocols and social distancing measures set out by the BC Centre for Disease Control.
Patients needing a primary care appointment should continue to call their family medicine clinic, walk-in or after-hours clinic, Allen said.
They will be cared for via phone or video, or will have an in-person appointment booked if required. This appointment may be in-clinic, or at the outdoor assessment centre.
“We’d like patients to know that family doctors and nurse practitioners have created this variety of safe environments so that all patients can continue to receive care,” said Dr. Greg Selinger, a family physician in Penticton.
“We’re still available to you.”
B.C. has expanded its COVID-19 testing strategy to combat community spread.
Previously, only high-risk and vulnerable groups qualified for testing, but now anyone experiencing symptoms, such as a cough or fever, can get tested.
Individuals seeking a test should call 250-770-3434 for visit IHA’s website for more information.
More than 71,000 tests have been completed province-wide, including more than 10,000 tests in the Interior Health region, according to the provincial government’s COVID-19 dashboard.