‘Everybody that comes in will be swabbed’: Mackenzie Health set to test more for COVID-19

Hospital is in position to do more testing for COVID-19 now that Ontario removed restrictions on who can be tested

Yorkregion.com
May 28, 2020
Sheila Wang

MacKenzie Richmond Hill Hospital has conducted more than 8,400 tests for the novel coronavirus and is poised to do more testing, Altaf Stationwala, president and CEO of MacKenzie Health, said.

In a presentation on May 27, Stationwala updated Richmond Hill council on the local hospital's response to COVID-19, progress on the construction of the Vaughan hospital and preparations to return to normal.

The assessment centre at the busiest hospital in York Region has been able to test up to 200 people a day, as public health statistics show, and the president said it is now "in the position to do more" since Ontario has removed restrictions on who can be tested.

"Everybody that comes in will be swabbed," Stationwala told council.

Under the previous testing guidelines put forward by the province, the COVID-19 assessment centres had to turn away many people for failing to meet the requirements, he said.

Premier Doug Ford expanded testing criteria May 24, signalling the province could come closer to hitting daily targets and inch toward its capacity of more than 20,000 daily tests.

With improved laboratory testing capacity, Stationwala said people without symptoms can also get a test at MacKenzie Health.

However, he warned of a possibility of getting "false negative" results if the tests were conducted at an early stage, before symptoms started to develop, because the viral levels may not be high enough to be detected.

While a walk-in option is still available, Stationwala encouraged the public to make an appointment to be tested first to avoid waiting in line.

As Ontario businesses slowly reopen, the Richmond Hill hospital has also started to prepare for returning to normal.

Stationwala said the hospital reduced nonemergent clinical activity, such as some elective procedures, and enforced visitor restrictions, as part of the response to COVID-19.

Returning to normal could mean a return to the hospital’s "overcrowding and capacity challenges", the president said.

Earlier in 2019, Mackenzie Richmond Hill -- with a capacity of 515 hospital beds -- was reportedly the most overcrowded hospital in Ontario, Stationwala said.

"That’s not the situation today because people are staying away, but that’s returning," he added.

The only concrete solution is to create capacity, the president noted in his presentation, which the Vaughan site is expected to help address.

Once complete, the $1.6-billion project will provide 350 beds with a capacity to expand to 550 beds in the future, he said.

Started in October 2016, the construction of the facility is scheduled to be completed in 2020.

To get tested at MacKenzie Richmond Hill Hospital:

Location: In the day surgery space, via a separate entrance to the hospital between the B-wing and C-wing entrances.

Hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday to Friday, 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. weekends and holidays. Hours are subject to change and will be updated at MackenzieHealth.ca.