Demand for COVID tests has ‘exploded’ at Hamilton assessment centres
The number of Hamilton residents seeking COVID tests exploded" this week and filled assessment centres to capacity amid the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.
The number of tests completed daily in Hamilton has inched upwards since November, according to provincial data.
But even three weeks ago, the demand for tests was only 400 per day at city's busiest assessment centre run by St. Joseph's Healthcare on the Mountain, said Dr. Tammy Packer, medical lead for assessment and testing.
The numbers have exploded in the last three or four days ... We had not been filling anywhere near capacity and now we are at capacity," said Packer, who noted the demand coincides with a growing COVID caseload. This is a very sudden and precarious situation."
So what does the surge mean for residents seeking tests?
Over the last few days, the online booking site has warned residents of high demand and fewer immediate slots.
But so far, Packer said the Mountain centre is still providing results within 24 hours and meeting an overall target to allow most residents to book a test within 48 hours. Residents likely became used to same-day availability for tests over most of 2021, however. That's what has been sacrificed in the last two or three days."
Both St. Joseph's and Hamilton Health Sciences are discussing ways to expand service, Packer said - but finding the necessary people power won't be easy.
With a more transmissible Omicron looming, the province has directed health officials to prioritize vaccination, including doses for kids and booster shots for adults.
Even staffing up for that vaccination effort is difficult, Packer said. We're dealing with a health-care workforce that is decimated and exhausted," she said.
As it stands, the St. Joseph's site, which just relocated this week from Mohawk College to a former Future Shop building at 1565 Upper James St., operates seven days a week and can handle up to 1,310 COVID tests per weekday.
A second assessment centre at 690 Main St. W run by Hamilton Health Sciences can book up to 500 tests a day, but only operates on Mondays and Thursdays.
Luckily, Packer said local pharmacies have really stepped up" in recent weeks to offer timely COVID testing, with results typically still being reported in under 1.5 days.
Matthew Van Dongen is a transportation and environment reporter at for The Spectator. mvandongen@thespec.com