In the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak in Manitoba, at the first part of March, there were no test sites available for those with COVID-19 symptoms.Wait times were long when Health Links was called to obtain a referral. Now, however, Prairie Mountain Health (PMH) is telling the public that they no longer require a referral from Health Links/Info Santé, or their family physician, before heading to one of three regional community sites for COVID-19 testing.
The test sites are drive-in sites, but if you are on foot, there’s a walk-up area as according to the PMH website.
Anyone with symptoms is still encouraged to use the online screening tool on the Shared Health website to determine whether they meet the necessary criteria to be tested.
Symptoms include one or more of the following for 24 hours.
· Fever (greater than 38 degrees C.) or chills
· Cough
· Sore throat
· Shortness of breath/breathing difficulties
· Loss of taste or smell
· Vomiting, or diarrhea (for more than 24 hours).
· Poor feeding (if an infant).
· Runny nose
· Muscle aches
· Fatigue
· Conjunctivitis (pink eye)
· Headache
· Skin rash of unknown cause
· Nausea or lack of appetite
Information on the online screening tool is available on the Shared Health website https://sharedhealthmb.ca/covid19/screening-tool/
Please note, if you are going for testing you must bring your Manitoba Health card.
Ahead of the May long holiday weekend, sites in Brandon (Town Centre), Dauphin (MPI Building) and Swan River (MPI Building) will have varied hours of operation.
More information can be found on the PMH website https://www.prairiemountainhealth.ca/getting-tested-for-covid-19-in-prairie-mountain-health
Remember, wash your hands often, continue practicing physical distancing and stay informed of all the latest COVID-19 updates and recommended precautions on the Manitoba government website https://www.gov.mb.ca/covid19/index.html
