RVH in Barrie, Ont., now able to conduct rapid coronavirus testing on site

The Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) in Barrie, Ont., is now able conduct rapid novel coronavirus testing on site.

“Using existing equipment, RVH can analyze four samples at once and get results within an hour,” Russell Price, the medical director of the hospital’s laboratory medicine department, said in a statement.

“RVH will continue to use the public health laboratory and shared hospitals laboratory for most of the daily testing, but some priority inpatient and health-care worker samples can now be quickly processed in-house.”

RVH says it’s one of about a dozen hospitals in Ontario that’s been approved by the ministry of health to conduct sample testing on site.

“Being able to test in-house and get results within an hour ensures swift and appropriate medical interventions and care,” the hospital says.

“To ensure RVH can expand its testing and to be prepared for another wave of the virus, a second piece of the specialized laboratory equipment has been purchased.”

While Ontario’s testing capacity has increased, RVH says receiving test results can still take up to two days.

So far, the local hospital’s lab has processed more than 176 tests on “high-risk” patients and health-care providers. Further to that, more than 1,700 inpatient, outpatient and health-care worker swab tests conducted at RVH have been sent to a public health laboratory.

“RVH has cared for 11 COVID-positive patients who had to be hospitalized and 45 outpatients who isolated and recovered at home,” the hospital says.

There have been 117 COVID-19 cases reported in Barrie and 334 total cases in Simcoe County, according to the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit.

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