Published Wednesday, September 23, 2020 7:34AM EDT
Last Updated Wednesday, September 23, 2020 3:30PM EDT
Premier Doug Ford says that there will be up to 60 pharmacies offering COVID-19 tests by appointment only as of Friday with more locations expected to be added “in the coming weeks.”
He said that the hope is that by rolling out COVID-19 testing in pharmacies the province will be able “to take the load off” its 150 assessment centres, where some people have reported waiting in line for upwards of four hours just to get a test.
Ford has been teasing an announcement about COVID-19 testing in pharmacies for weeks now and previously told reporters that there will be “thousands” of locations where residents can get tested.
The 60 locations announced on Wednesday, located mostly in areas with higher levels of infection, are a far cry from that but Ford told reporters that the province is committed to adding more locations in the weeks to come.
He did not say how many tests could eventually be conducted by pharmacists but did say that he expects the number to be large enough to put “a big dent” in the overall demand for testing.
“I see it when I drive by (the assessment centres). Everyone is getting tested. I understand that. We are going to ramp this up and take the load off the public system that we have seen over the last 10 days or two weeks,” he promised.
He did not say how many tests could eventually be conducted by pharmacists but did say that he expects the number to be large enough to put “a big dent” in the overall demand for testing.
“I see it when I drive by (the assessment centres). Everyone is getting tested. I understand that. We are going to ramp this up and take the load off the public system that we have seen over the last 10 days or two weeks,” he promised.