Poll: How long did you wait for your COVID-19 test results?

In a response to long lines at COVID-19 assessment centres across Ontario, and a backlog of up to 90 000 tests to process, the provincial government has introduced new testing guidelines.

Since Thursday, Sep. 24, 2020, the government has changed the criteria for testing, updated the protocols for symptomatic students, and required all testing centres to switch to an appointment-only model, rather than walk-in.

In the Kingston Frontenac Lennox & Addington (KFL&A) Public Health region, the demand for testing has increased steadily since the end of August. The return of post-secondary students to the area, reopening of schools, and more active cases of COVID-19 in the region have driven the trend.

Kingston’s Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Kieran Moore, has noted that the high demand for tests created a local processing backlog, increasing the amount of time people wait for results. On social media, residents have recently reported test result turnaround times ranging from five to ten days.

[poll id=”459″]