We understand you have questions. Please review the following answers to frequently asked questions. If you are still in need of support, you can send us an email with your question.
Do I need a COVID-19 test?
It is best you discuss your medical concerns with your health care provider — they can provide you with guidance specific to your situation.
Assessment Centres will only test those who fall within the Ontario provincial guidelines. This includes:
* Symptomatic people who 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
* 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
Prior to booking an appointment, please review the provincial guidelines here to determine whether it is appropriate to book an appointment. These guidelines have been updated as of December 30, 2021.
As of December 31, 2021, the guidelines for testing in the province have changed.
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 live, work, attend, volunteer, or have been admitted in a high-risk health care setting, you must notify your employer and should not visit the high-risk setting for 10 days since your last exposure or symptom onset, or from your date of diagnosis. To ensure sufficient staffing levels, workers in these settings will 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. If you live in a high-risk setting, you should isolate regardless of vaccination status.
Learn more at Ontario.ca/exposed.
It is best you discuss your medical concerns with your health care provider or the Middlesex-London Health Unit for next steps. You can reach the Middlesex-London Health Unit COVID-19 Hot Line at 519-663-5317 and follow the voice prompts. This number is answered Monday – Friday from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. The Health Unit can also be emailed at [email protected].
You can also review the Ontario government COVID-19 screening tool for children: https://covid-19.ontario.ca/covid19-cms-assets/2020-10/Screening%20Children%20v1.0%202020-10-01%20FINAL%20EN%20AODA.pdf
Yes, please keep your COVID-19 test appointment and be tested. You may still have the virus even after symptoms improve, and still be contagious.
Booking a COVID-19 Test Appointment
An appointment is needed for a COVID-19 test at both the COVID-19 Clinical Assessment Centre and MyHealth Testing Centre. Check the online booking page to book your appointment.
Effective Friday, November 5 2021, London’s COVID-19 Clinical Assessment Centre will no longer be testing individuals for medical procedures.
Individuals requiring pre-surgical testing that are asymptomatic can be tested at a pharmacy. Find locations closest to you here.
Effective Friday, January 15, 2021, London’s COVID-19 Clinical Assessment Centre will no longer be testing individuals who are travelling outside of Canada and require a COVID-19 test before travelling or entering their country of destination. This is in compliance with a change in testing criteria from the Province of Ontario.
Individuals requiring testing for international travel clearance should consult their travel carrier for the most up-to-date information. Travellers needing a COVID-19 test should now search for other options, including private testing facilities. For alternative local testing options, visit our International Travel Testing page.
At this time we are not able to book recurring tests. Only 5 days’ worth of appointment slots are available at a time. Please visit our Online Booking page up to five days before your next required test date to book an appointment.
Weekend appointments are available at the COVID-19 Clinical Assessment Centre. Please visit our Online Booking to book an appointment.
Please check your Junk Mail/Spam folder to see if your confirmation email is there. Some email providers may also take longer to receive the email.
The COVID-19 test performed by Assessment Centres is free. The cost is covered by the province with OHIP. If you do not have a valid Ontario Health Card, the province will still cover the cost of the test.
Testing for international travel performed by pharmacies will require a fee.
You do not need a health card to be tested. You will need to provide one piece of identification that proves your legal name, the name for the person the appointment is booked for. This can be a health card, or another piece of ID such as a driver’s license or passport. The ID must be physically present at the time of the appointment.
You will need a health card to access results online. If you do not have a health card, you can contact the Middlesex-London Health Unit COVID-19 Hot Line at 519-663-5317 and follow the voice prompts. This number is answered Monday – Friday from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. The Health Unit can also be emailed at [email protected].
The COVID-19 Clinical Assessment Centre does not provide drive-thru testing. Anyone attending an Assessment Centre to receive a test will have to go inside the building for testing.
You can arrive by bus, cab, or on foot to the COVID-19 Clinical Assessment Centre at the time of your appointment. Visit the online booking system to book an appointment.
Yes, the COVID-19 Clinical Assessment Centre is wheelchair-accessible, and there are a limited number of wheelchairs available at each site if necessary.
There is no preparation needed for the COVID-19 test. Find out more about the test here: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/diseases-conditions/understanding-covid-19-testing.html
If it is a young child that’s being tested, you can find tips on preparing your child for a test online.
When registering for your appointment, there will be triage questions. Depending on those answers, and any other symptoms you are experiencing, staff may run a few tests. Testing your blood pressure and heart rate are common.
We understand there is concern of heading to an Assessment Centre of being exposed to COVID-19. Please know that we take several precautions to ensure the safety of everyone at the Centre.
Assessment Centres only have a certain number of appointments in each slot, which is why a test requires an appointment. This allows us to maintain strong physical distance between everyone inside.
While in the Centre, those waiting for a test are very physically distanced thanks to the large space of the Centre.
Anything that someone comes into contact with is thoroughly cleaned afterwards by a sanitation team.
We are proud to say that we have not reported a single case of Assessment Centre staff testing positive for COVID-19 during the entirety of the Centres’ operations.
We do not run serology (antibody) testing at the Assessment Centres. If you require this test, please speak with your primary care physician.
No, you can not get a vaccine for COVID-19 at the Carling Assessment Centre. Please visit the Middlesex-London Health Unit’s website for the latest update on vaccine roll-out: https://www.covidvaccinelm.ca/
We do not provide proof of testing. The proof of testing will be your results. If you need to print off your results that include specific information, contact the Middlesex-London Health Unit COVID-19 Hot Line at 519-663-5317 and follow the voice prompts. This line is open Monday to Sunday from 8:30AM to 4:30PM. You can also email [email protected]
Cancelling a COVID-19 Test
Please cancel an appointment if you have already received a test and no longer need that time. When you cancel, it means that space opens up for someone else to be tested.
Cancelling an online appointment is easy – click the link in the confirmation email or text, and your appointment will be cancelled.
No, please do not cancel your test. You may still have the virus, and still be contagious, even if your symptoms have improved. Please keep your appointment time and be tested for COVID-19.
International Travel and COVID-19 Testing
London COVID-19 Assessment Centres no longer test individuals who are travelling outside of Canada and require a COVID-19 test before travelling or entering their country of destination. This is in compliance with a change in testing criteria from the Province of Ontario.
Individuals requiring testing for international travel clearance should consult their travel carrier for the most up-to-date information. Travellers needing a COVID-19 test should now search for other options, including private testing facilities. For alternative local testing options, visit our International Travel Testing page.
There may be a fee associated with a test for international travel. Please consult the testing site for that fee.
When returning from any international travel, you must quarantine for 14 days as per the Government of Canada’s Minimizing the Risk of Exposure to COVID-19 in Canada Order. A negative COVID-19 test does not shorten this time period, and you must remain in quarantine for the complete 14 day period.
To learn more, visit the Government of Canada’s website.
Hospital/Medical Procedures and COVID-19 Testing
Effective Friday, November 5 2021, London’s COVID-19 Clinical Assessment Centre will no longer be testing individuals for medical procedures.
Individuals requiring pre-surgical testing that are asymptomatic can be tested at a pharmacy. Find locations closest to you here.
COVID-19 Test Results
Testing is done by Provincial Laboratories and turnaround times depend on the number of tests waiting to be processed. If you go to an Assessment Centre, the usual turnaround is 3-5 days. Pharmacy test results may also take 3-5 days. Anyone who receives a positive result will be contacted by the Middlesex-London Health Unit with next steps.
If you are having trouble accessing your results online and have a valid Ontario Health Card, please visit the Help Page for test results portal: https://covid19results.ehealthontario.ca:4443/help.
Assessment Centres don’t have access to test results so if you’re still not able to get your results, please contact the Middlesex-London Health Unit COVID-19 Hot Line at 519-663-5317 and follow the voice prompts. This number is answered Monday – Friday from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. The Health Unit can also be emailed at [email protected].
Contact the Middlesex-London Health Unit COVID-19 Hot Line at 519-663-5317 and follow the voice prompts. This line is open Monday to Friday from 8:30AM to 4:30PM. You can also email [email protected]