Western Health urging residents in Corner Brook & area to get COVID-19 test

Western Health is encouraging residents in Corner Brook and in the North Shore, Bay of Islands to access COVID-19 testing whether or not they are symptomatic due to recent cases in the Western region.

There was a new case of COVID-19 identified in the Western Health region today that is a close contact of a previous case and is not related to this investigation. Public health is investigating to determine how community members may have acquired COVID-19 and whether there has been transmission within the community.

To arrange testing, individuals are asked to complete the online self-assessment and referral tool or call 811. When asked do you require a COVID-19 test as a result of an advisory from Public Health? (e.g., a flight or a public place connected to a COVID-19 case), please select “YES.” Following the completion of the online self-assessment or call to 811, residents will be contacted to book an appointment time for the location closest to them

There will be two testing sites set up from Monday to Wednesday, April 12 to April 14, the town hall in Meadows and at the former St. Gerard’s Elementary School in Corner Brook. These will be drive-thru sites.

Two tests will be completed for each individual, a rapid test that provides presumptive results and a standard COVID-19 test.

All individuals with symptoms are advised to isolate. Individuals who do not have symptoms do not need to isolate unless they have been advised to do so by public health.

The testing team will get a result within 15 - 30 minutes. This result is "presumptive", meaning that it needs to be confirmed with the second test (standard COVID-19 test) that will be sent to the provincial Public Health lab. If the presumptive result is positive, the individual will be contacted by Public Health and the contact tracing process will begin immediately while waiting for confirmation by the provincial Public Health lab.

If a negative presumptive result is confirmed to be negative, it will be posted on the Government of NL COVID-19 Patient Results portal once it is validated by the Public Health lab.