Cochranites will be having to make the commute to Calgary for COVID-19 testing.
Alberta Health Services (AHS) said "there are no plans to open an assessment centre in Cochrane."
In an email to the Cochrane Eagle, AHS mentions that the current complement of assessment centres is sufficient to meet the needs of the Calgary Zone and any Cochrane residents referred for testing will be directed to an assessment centre in Calgary.
If you think you may have fallen victim to COVID-19 you will first have to self isolate and either complete the online self assessment tool provided on the AHS website or contact Health Link 811. Following these measures, you will then be told whether or not you need to get tested. AHS does not want those who think they may be sick to visit any hospital, physician's office, lab or healthcare facility before consulting them.
"If they've done the online assessment and then they call Health Link and the person from Health Link refers them and says 'you should be getting tested,' then they will be told where they need to go to," explains James Wood, director of media relations for AHS Calgary Zone.
AHS is keeping the whereabouts of testing sites private. It will only be shared between those who require testing to prevent an overwhelming impact on the system.
"They only want people going there, who should be going there," said Wood.
Currently, the main focus for AHS is geared toward attributing testing for health care workers and other high risk groups.
The emailed statement ended remarking AHS is confident that the current assessment structure in place will support the demand.
