Interior Health has moved its COVID-19 testing site in Kamloops to the public health unit at 519 Columbia Street.
Spokesperson Susan Duncan says there will only be urgent testing by a doctor or a nurse practitioner at the Kamloops Urgent Primary Care Centre going forward.
“The move allows the primary care nurse at UPCC to focus on patients requiring urgent primary care,” she said, in an email.
“The delay last weekend with booking appointments was a unique situation as we transitioned COVID-19 testing to the public health unit and, concurrently, saw a steep increase in call volumes after school started.”
Duncan says testing hours are currently Monday to Friday, but it will change to Monday to Saturday after this weekend. She notes people are still able to call and make an appointment seven days a week to book appointments.
“It’s important to know that it is not essential to get a test within 48 hours. Anyone with symptoms associated with COVID-19 should self-isolate before and after their test and until the symptoms are gone,” she added. “To date, most people are getting in for appointments within 24 hours.”
“Our teams are working hard to ensure everyone gets their appointments and tests as quickly as possible. We also want to remind people that you do not need a test if you don’t have symptoms.”
If your test result comes back negative, Interior Health says you should still stay at home if you have a fever, chills, a persistent cough, diarrhea or are vomiting.
“It’s good practice even when there is no pandemic,” Duncan added.
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