Chilliwack – Late Friday, a Facebook posting made the rounds with information from CGH Chilliwack General Hospital, about COVID-19 Testing at the Hospital starting Monday March 16.
Fraser Health informed FVN and chillTV that the posting was an internal memo and asks those who post it to their pages, to take it down, for fear of interpretation leading to misinformation.
FVN and chillTV will NOT post that jpeg, however, Aletta Vanderheyden, Senior Consultant, Public Affairs with Fraser Health said in a memo to our newsroom:
A referral-only centralized community COVID-19 testing site will open in Chilliwack on Monday, March 16th at 10 a.m. to support COVID-19 testing for patients who have been assessed by their family physician or 8-1-1 as requiring testing but not requiring acute care support.
All patients require a referral from their family physician or 8-1-1 to access testing at this site. This site is not a walk-in clinic for the public.
The testing site will be located at the Chilliwack Health Unit at 45470 Menholm Road from 8:30am – 4:30pm Monday through Friday.
Testing is available for all who need it, but not everyone requires a test. Testing continues for those who are part of an active investigation or outbreak cluster, those with severe illness who are hospitalized, residents of long-term care facilities and health-care workers. If you have no symptoms, mild symptoms, or are a returning traveller and isolating at home, you do not require a test.
We are opening this testing site to deter people from going to the emergency department for COVID-19 testing and to support community physicians who are unable to perform the test at their clinic.
On Saturday, Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, and Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s Provincial Health Officer announced nine new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 73 cases in British Columbia. The individuals are in the Vancouver Coastal, Fraser and Interior health regions, and were confirmed positive based on BC Centre for Disease Control testing.
“We would like to be clear that testing is available for all who need it, but not everyone requires a test. If you have no symptoms, mild symptoms, or are a returning traveller and isolating at home, you do not require a test.
“We are continuing to test those who are part of an active investigation or outbreak cluster, those with severe illness who are hospitalized, residents of long-term care facilities and health-care workers.”
“We ask all British Columbians to be measured in their purchase of groceries and other basic necessities. Our retail supply-chain providers have assured us they have an abundance of supply and are restocking regularly. There is no need to stockpile.”
In Quebec, health officials are asking people not to visit Care Homes for the time being, as a precaution. As well, anyone over the age of 70, regardless of how healthy they are, were told to stay home.
