Monday was a record-setting day at the COVID-19 testing centre at Windsor Regional Hospital’s Ouellette Campus with 163 tests being done.
It was the first day that anyone in Ontario could be tested regardless of how they felt which hospital Spokesperson Steve Erwin tells AM800 News is important, because not everybody who has COVID-19 will show symptoms.
“There could be people who transmit this virus to others and particularly the vulnerable populations including the elderly, so the better we know who is out there who is testing positive for COVID-19 the better we can take steps to isolate," says Erwin.
Monday’s numbers were the highest the centre has seen since March 18 when 103 tests were done.
"It tells you there were a lot of people who were asymptomatic that maybe had some anxiety and just wanted to get checked out and this was their opportunity to get that test and hopefully give them some piece of mind,” adds Erwin.
When it comes to concerns about having to attend a hospital where there are generally sick people, Erwin says it's actually one of the safest places you could be.
"Staff are wearing full protective gear, you're given a mask as soon as you arrive, everything is clean and disinfected inside that area and it is a closed off area from the rest of the hospital,” he says. “You're not mixing with the rest of the population and from that end it’s actually a very safe place to go and get your test."
It was also a record-breaking day in Leamington for the testing centre at Erie Shores HealthCare where 100 tests were done, breaking the previous record of 60.
Both centres are open seven days a week with Windsor being open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Leamington 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.