COVID-19 Assessment Centre

• Showing COVID-19 symptoms (see list of symptoms), fall into one of the following groups:
  • Hospitalized patients
  • Patients in Emergency Departments, at the discretion of the treating clinician
  •  Patient-facing health care workers
  • Staff, residents, essential care providers, and visitors in hospitals and congregate living settings, including long-term care, retirement homes, First Nation elder care lodges, group homes, shelters, hospices, temporary foreign worker settings, and correctional institutions
  • Outpatients for whom COVID-19 treatment is being considered
  • Underhoused or homeless
  • Pregnant individuals
  • Household members of workers in highest risk settings (i.e., Hospitals and congregate living settings (e.g., LTCH, RTs, First Nation elder care lodges, group homes, shelters, hospices and correctional institutions)
  • First responders, including fire, police and paramedics
• People who are from First Nation, Inuit, and Métis communities and individuals travelling into these communities for work
• Symptomatic elementary and secondary students and education staff who have received a PCR self-collection kit through their school
• People on admission/transfer to or from hospital or congregate living setting
• High-risk contacts and asymptomatic/symptomatic people in the context of confirmed or suspected outbreaks in high-risk settings, including hospitals, long-term care, retirement homes, other congregate living settings and institutions, and other settings as directed by the local public health unit
• Individuals, and one accompanying caregiver, with written prior approval for out-of-country medical services from the General Manager, OHIP
• Asymptomatic testing in hospital, long-term care, retirement homes and other congregate living settings and Institutions as per provincial guidance and/or Directives

Individuals who are vaccinated, as well as children under 12 who have symptoms of COVID-19 will be required to isolate for five days following the onset of symptoms. These individuals can end isolation after five days if their symptoms are improving for at least 24 hours, and all public health and safety measures, such as masking and physical distancing, are followed

Individuals who are unvaccinated, partially vaccinated or immunocompromised will be required to isolate for 10 days.

If you are someone who works or lives in a high risk-health care setting (i.e., hospitals, long-term care, retirement homes, congregate living settings) you must notify your employer. Individuals who work or live in these settings should not attend work for 10 days from their symptom onset, or from their date of diagnosis. To ensure sufficient staffing levels, workers in these settings may have the opportunity to return to work early on day seven of their isolation, with a negative PCR test, or two negative rapid antigen tests on day six and seven. Speak with your employer or occupational health and safety department for more information.

All household contacts must also isolate for the same duration as the person with symptoms, regardless of their vaccination status. If you have symptoms of COVID-19, you should also consider informing close contacts beyond your household contacts by providing them with the link to Ontario.ca/exposed. Individuals who are eligible for a lab-based PCR test are encouraged to get tested.

If you have concerns about your symptoms, contact your doctor, health care provider or Telehealth for more information and guidance. If you develop severe symptoms requiring medical attention, such as shortness of breath or chest pain, call 911.

If you do not have symptoms of COVID-19 but are feeling unwell, isolate until symptoms have improved for at least 24 hours.

If you are fully vaccinated and you have no symptoms, and do not live with the positive case, you are advised to:

• Self-monitor for symptoms for 10 days since you last interacted with the positive case
• Maintain masking, physical distancing and adherence to all other public health measures if leaving home
• Do not visit any high-risk settings or individuals who may be at higher risk of illness (e.g., seniors) for 10 days from your last exposure.

If you are not fully vaccinated, or are immunocompromised, you must isolate immediately for 10 days following your last contact. If you live with the positive case, you must isolate for the length of their isolation period.

Individuals who are eligible for testing are encouraged to get tested.

If you test positive from a PCR, rapid molecular or a rapid antigen test and you are fully vaccinated or under 12 years of age, you must isolate for five days from the positive test result if you have no symptoms or from symptom onset and until their symptoms are improving for 24 hours (or 48 hours if gastrointestinal symptoms).

If you are partially vaccinated, unvaccinated or immunocompromised, you should self-isolate for 10 days from the onset of symptoms, or from the date of your test (whichever came sooner).

In addition, household contacts of individuals who have tested positive must also self-isolate during this time. Individuals must isolate regardless of their vaccination status.

You should also notify your close contacts. A close contact is anyone you were less than two metres away from for at least 15 minutes, or multiple shorter lengths of time, without personal protective equipment in the 48 hours before your symptoms began or your positive test result, whichever came first.

Birchmount Hospital
3030 Birchmount Road

Hours of operation
8 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Seven days a week

Outside of the hospital building, near the Emergency department and main entrance. Please follow the directions on-site.

For more details on arriving for your appointment and after completing your test, view instructions.

Centenary Hospital
2867 Ellesmere Road

Hours of operation
Monday, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Friday, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Outside of the hospital building, on the east side going towards the Emergency department. Please follow the directions on-site.

For more details on arriving for your appointment and after completing your test, view instructions.

Please arrive 10 minutes before your appointment to allow time for parking and accessing the Assessment Centre.

Park in the hospital visitor parking lot. Make sure you keep your parking slip.

Follow the signage for the COVID-19 Assessment Centre.

You will be registered by one of our registration clerks, seen by the nurse and have your nasal swab completed.

Clean your hands, then go directly to your vehicle or transportation. Do not walk through the hospital.

You will receive a parking voucher following your test. When you exit the parking lot, insert the parking slip you received upon arrival, followed by the parking voucher. The gates will then open to allow your exit.

Ensure you follow any instructions provided to you by the nurse regarding self-monitoring and self-isolation.

If your symptoms become severe (difficulty breathing, chest pain/tightness/crushing sensation, feeling confused, loss of consciousness) please call 911 or visit the closest Emergency department right away.

If you have taken a COVID-19 test, you can access and view your test results through the Ministry of Health’s online tool.