A nurse uses a swab to perform a test on a patient at a drive-in COVID-19 clinic in Montreal, on Wednesday, October 21, 2020. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson)
WINNIPEG — A dedicated site to test health-care workers and first responders for COVID-19 will soon be up and running in Winnipeg.
Through a partnership with the city, the Manitoba government will open a drive-thru testing site in the parking lot of the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service training academy at 2546 McPhillips Street later this week.
“Health-care workers have been on the front line of the fight against COVID-19, frequently placing themselves at greater risk of exposure to the virus in order to provide treatment and care for patients,” said Health Minister Cameron Friesen in a statement.
“Expanding access to timely testing recognizes their immeasurable importance to our health system fight against COVID-19.”
The site will be staffed by licensed WFPS paramedics not currently working in the field and is expected to handle between 40 to 60 tests per day.
Appointments will be available Monday to Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. by calling 1-855-268-4318. Testing will be made available to police officers, firefighters, paramedics and emergency communications personnel with the potential to also offer a limited number of slots to health-care workers.
In addition, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority will open a limited number of testing appointments at the 2735 Pembina Highway and 604 St. Mary’s Road testing sites specifically for health-care workers and first responders.
Health-care workers and first responders will need to show their professional identification at the testing site to access their pre-booked appointment.
