Have you been exposed to COVID-19 or are you looking for guidance?
Visit Ontario’s Self-Assessment Tool for guidance or use this COVID-19 Screener to determine if you are at higher risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes and may benefit from antiviral treatments.
Testing
Rapid Antigen Tests
To support ongoing access to COVID-19 testing this fall, in particular for people who may be eligible for COVID-19 treatment, Lambton Public Health has rapid antigen test (RAT) kits available to Lambton residents, free of charge at our main office, located at 160 Exmouth Street, Point Edward. Lambton residents can also access RAT kits from local health partners and community agencies.
PCR Testing
COVID-19 PCR testing is currently only available to eligible individuals. To view the list of individuals eligible for PCR testing, click HERE. If you are eligible for PCR testing, you can access it through your healthcare provider, walk-in clinics, or participating local pharmacies. Please note, you should contact your walk-in clinic or pharmacy to ensure they can provide this service.
Treatment
Antiviral treatments for COVID-19 can help prevent serious illness if taken quickly (within the first 5 days) after symptoms start. They are available in Ontario for free to anyone with a prescription. The use of antivirals in children under the age of 18 is not routinely recommended. Exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis, such as for children who are severely immunocompromised and/or have multiple risk factors. “
Contact your healthcare provider, visit a walk-in clinic, or see a participating pharmacy to determine if antiviral treatment is right for you. Please note, you should contact your pharmacy to ensure they can provide this service.
FAQ
Symptoms of COVID-19 and its variants range from mild — like the flu and other common respiratory infections — to severe. If you feel sick, it’s important that you stay home and talk with a primary care provider or doctor if necessary.
For more information, follow the Province’s public health advice.
Ontarians may consider wearing a tight-fitting, well-constructed mask in indoor public settings, especially anyone at higher risk of severe infection. Setting-specific masking policies should be followed. For more information, follow the Province’s public health advice.
Most people who have recovered from a COVID-19 infection will have some immunity to protect against future infection or to make a future infection less severe. However, reinfection with the virus that causes COVID-19 is possible. For this reason, NACI (the National Advisory Committee on Immunization) recommends that COVID-19 vaccines be offered to individuals who have previously been infected with COVID-19.
Lambton Public Health and the Province of Ontario do not recommend re-testing after finishing isolation unless new symptoms that are consistent with COVID-19 develop after isolation has ended. Another test is not needed to discontinue isolation for those who have recovered from COVID-19.
Most individuals can discontinue self-isolation when:
• They have completed their required self-isolation period since symptoms first appeared or positive test date if asymptomatic AND
• They have no fever (without the use of fever-reducing medication) AND
• Symptoms have been improving for at least 24 hours (or 48 hours for gastrointestinal symptoms)
Continuing to test positive after recovery from COVID-19 infection is common, with some people still testing positive on a PCR test for weeks or months after their initial infection. This is because the PCR test is detecting viral remains that are no longer living and unable to cause infection. This means you are no longer contagious. Therefore, it is not recommended that individuals without symptoms undergo PCR testing for at least 90 days after the initial COVID-19 infection. If the person develops new symptoms of COVID-19 within that 90-day period, consultation with a health care provider is recommended to help with the decision on whether to do further testing.
Rapid antigen tests (RAT) are generally less sensitive to the virus than PCR tests and work better in symptomatic people. The sensitivity of the test can be increased by doing a combined oral (mouth) and nasal (nose) swab. If a person tests positive using a rapid antigen test, they should follow the Province’s public health advice. By 10 days after developing symptoms or testing positive (20 days if immune compromised), there are very few people who have any remaining viable virus – which means they are no longer contagious.
Have you been exposed to COVID-19 or are you looking for guidance?
Visit Ontario’s Self-Assessment Tool for guidance or use this COVID-19 Screener to determine if you are at higher risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes and may benefit from antiviral treatments.
Testing
Rapid Antigen Tests
To support ongoing access to COVID-19 testing this fall, in particular for people who may be eligible for COVID-19 treatment, Lambton Public Health has rapid antigen test (RAT) kits available to Lambton residents, free of charge at our main office, located at 160 Exmouth Street, Point Edward. Lambton residents can also access RAT kits from local health partners and community agencies.
PCR Testing
COVID-19 PCR testing is currently only available to eligible individuals. To view the list of individuals eligible for PCR testing, click HERE. If you are eligible for PCR testing, you can access it through your healthcare provider, walk-in clinics, or participating local pharmacies. Please note, you should contact your walk-in clinic or pharmacy to ensure they can provide this service.
Treatment
Antiviral treatments for COVID-19 can help prevent serious illness if taken quickly (within the first 5 days) after symptoms start. They are available in Ontario for free to anyone with a prescription. The use of antivirals in children under the age of 18 is not routinely recommended. Exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis, such as for children who are severely immunocompromised and/or have multiple risk factors. “
Contact your healthcare provider, visit a walk-in clinic, or see a participating pharmacy to determine if antiviral treatment is right for you. Please note, that you should contact your pharmacy to ensure they can provide this service.
FAQ
Symptoms of COVID-19 and its variants range from mild — like the flu and other common respiratory infections — to severe. If you feel sick, it’s important that you stay home and talk with a primary care provider or doctor if necessary.
For more information, follow the Province’s public health advice.
Ontarians may consider wearing a tight-fitting, well-constructed mask in indoor public settings, especially anyone at higher risk of severe infection. Setting-specific masking policies should be followed. For more information, follow the Province’s public health advice.
Most people who have recovered from a COVID-19 infection will have some immunity to protect against future infection or to make a future infection less severe. However, reinfection with the virus that causes COVID-19 is possible. For this reason, NACI (the National Advisory Committee on Immunization) recommends that COVID-19 vaccines be offered to individuals who have previously been infected with COVID-19.
Lambton Public Health and the Province of Ontario do not recommend re-testing after finishing isolation unless new symptoms that are consistent with COVID-19 develop after isolation has ended. Another test is not needed to discontinue isolation for those who have recovered from COVID-19.
Most individuals can discontinue self-isolation when:
• They have completed their required self-isolation period since symptoms first appeared or positive test date if asymptomatic AND
• They have no fever (without the use of fever-reducing medication) AND
• Symptoms have been improving for at least 24 hours (or 48 hours for gastrointestinal symptoms)
Continuing to test positive after recovery from COVID-19 infection is common, with some people still testing positive on a PCR test for weeks or months after their initial infection. This is because the PCR test is detecting viral remains that are no longer living and unable to cause infection. This means you are no longer contagious. Therefore, it is not recommended that individuals without symptoms undergo PCR testing for at least 90 days after the initial COVID-19 infection. If the person develops new symptoms of COVID-19 within that 90-day period, consultation with a health care provider is recommended to help with the decision on whether to do further testing.
Rapid antigen tests (RAT) are generally less sensitive to the virus than PCR tests and work better in symptomatic people. The sensitivity of the test can be increased by doing a combined oral (mouth) and nasal (nose) swab. If a person tests positive using a rapid antigen test, they should follow the Province’s public health advice. By 10 days after developing symptoms or testing positive (20 days if immune compromised), there are very few people who have any remaining viable virus – which means they are no longer contagious.