People with mild COVID-19 Symptoms will now be referred to an Assessment Centre

**PORCUPINE HEALTH UNIT NEWS RELEASE**

Dr. Lianne Catton, Medical Officer of Health of the Porcupine Health Unit (PHU), is announcing that there will be an increase in the number of tests conducted for the COVID-19 virus, as part of a targeted Northern Ontario surveillance opportunity.

“This important, time-limited, initiative to expand testing will provide a better understanding of the status of COVID-19 and the effectiveness of public health measures in our population,” says Dr. Catton. “As a result, there will be an increase in testing across the PHU region to collect this information and guide our next steps.”

People with mild symptoms will be referred to the Assessment Centres for testing. The Province has recently updated the list of COVID-19 symptoms to include cough, fever, difficulty breathing, sore throat/hoarse voice, difficulty swallowing, a loss of sense of smell or taste, fatigue, muscle aches, runny nose, loss of appetite, diarrhea, and nausea or vomiting.

Should you have symptoms, call your health care provider or the Porcupine Health Unit to speak to someone about receiving testing. Since the Assessment Centres do not accepting walk-ins, the public is still required to call their health care provider or the PHU to be booked for an appointment. Dr. Catton urges residents, “If you are unwell, you must stay home. This is how we reduce the spread of COVID-19.”