The return to school is having an impact on the CKHA COVID assessment centre.
Cane Suni is the hospital’s Vice President of Clinical Operations and says the numbers of people coming to get tested has doubled in the last few weeks, and the demographics have changed as well.
“We are finding at least anecdotally that those presenting are a lot of sniffles and cold-like symptoms, and I think we’re going to see a lot more of that as it relates to those aged 4-17 at this point,” Suni says.
“What we’d ask is people contemplating coming to the Assessment Centre, they first contact a primary care practitioner to better understand the symptoms they are presenting, and if they require a test, then they can present to the centre itself.”
With schools back in session and kids coming home with coughs and sniffles, VP of Clinical Operations Cane Suni says the hospital is considering adding extra resources to screening patients before they get swabbed.
While the Assessment Centre had seen close to 100 people on the average weekday, that number jumped to over 200 now that school is back in session.