COVID-19 Testing

If you think you may have COVID-19 or were exposed to the virus, follow these steps to take care of yourself and protect others.

• Step One: Confirm if you need to isolate
• Step Two: Get tested for COVID-19 if you are eligible
• Step Three: Inform your close contacts of their exposure

Visit the website: https://covid-19.ontario.ca/exposed for details and resources.

Eligible for COVID-19 Testing?

Effective December 31, publicly-funded PCR testing will be available only for high-risk individuals who are symptomatic and/or are at risk of severe illness from COVID-19, including for the purposes of confirming a COVID-19 diagnosis to begin treatment, and workers and residents in the highest risk settings, as well as vulnerable populations.

Members of the general public with mild symptoms are asked not to seek testing. Please review the provincial list of eligible individuals.

In addition, most individuals with a positive result from a rapid antigen test will no longer be required or encouraged to get a confirmatory PCR or rapid molecular test.

• Updated Guidance: COVID-19 Integrated Testing & Case, Contact and Outbreak Management Interim Guidance: Omicron Surge – January 14, 2022

Public Assessment Centres

To ensure that resources are available to focus on high-risk settings, protecting our most vulnerable Ontarians and helping to keep critical infrastructure services running, publicly funded PCR testing is available to individuals that meet at least one of the criteria below.

If you have tested positive on a rapid antigen test, you don’t need a PCR test to confirm the result.

You can get a free COVID-19 test at a Public Assessment Centre if any of the following apply to you:

• Symptoms and exposure
  • you are currently experiencing COVID-19 symptoms that are not related to other know causes or conditions
  • you have been exposed to a COVID-19-positive person (if you know when you were exposed, get tested seven days after your last exposure and stay in self-isolation. If you do not know when you were exposed, get tested right away)
  • you have received a COVID Alert app exposure notification
  • you are a resident or worker in a setting that has a COVID-19 outbreak, as identified by your local public health unit
• Long-term care
  • you are a worker (including support workers), visitor (including caregivers), or government inspector of a long-term care home
• Temporary Foreign Workers
  • you are a temporary foreign worker
• Indigenous
  • you are a person who identifies as Indigenous
  • you are a person travelling into remote/isolated First Nation and Indigenous communities for work purposes
• Surgery and other reasons
  • you need a test before a scheduled (non-urgent or emergent) surgery in a region with high community transmission (ask your health care provider)
  • you have been recommended by your health care provider to get tested before treatment (for example, hematopoietic cell therapy, radiation, or systemic cancer treatment, etc.)
  • you are required to be tested before being admitted to a hospital, long-term care home or other congregate living setting/institution (including group homes and equivalent higher-risk settings, such as homeless shelters, community supported living, disability-specific communities/congregate settings, short-term rehab, hospices, other shelters)
  • you are seeking a confirmatory test after receiving a positive antigen point-of-care test (such as a rapid test) or positive self-test result
  • you, and one accompanying caregiver, have written prior approval from the General Manager, OHIP, for out-of-country medical services
  • you belong to any other targeted testing group as outlined in guidance from the Chief Medical Officer of Health
  • you are a resident of a homeless shelter

You are not eligible for free diagnostic testing if you are seeking testing:

• as part of a vaccine policy or mandate
• to satisfy a travel requirement, unless you are a temporary foreign worker returning to your country of origin or are travelling into and out of remote/isolated First Nation and Indigenous communities for work purposes
• for entry to a private venue, event or gathering which requires a negative test result to enter

Private COVID-19 tests, such as those needed for outbound international travel, are available for purchase throughout Ontario.

Public Assessment Centre Locations

All Public Assessment Centres are accessed by appointment only. Please follow the instructions below to book an appointment at a location you choose.
*NOTE: Hours are subject to change due to holidays.

Sarnia Lambton COVID-19 Assessment Centres

LOCATION	HOURS
Twin Bridges Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic 153 Christina Street South, Sarnia   Book your appointment Phone for appointments ONLY if you cannot access the internet. Call: 226-776-9030 French and sign language is available.	Monday to Thursday 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Rapids Family Health Team 1150 Pontiac Drive, Sarnia Book your appointment Phone appointments ONLY if you cannot access the internet. Call: 519-491-5395	Monday & Tuesday     8:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. 1:15 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. Wednesday & Thursday 11:45 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. 3:45 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. Friday 8:00 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Rural Lambton COVID-19 Assessment Centres

LOCATION	HOURS
Plympton-Wyoming Health & Wellness Centre 596 Broadway Street, Wyoming   Please book online by going to app.getcorigan.ca Choose from available times and schedule tests when it is convenient for you. If unable to book online, email covidclinic@clfht.com. Spanish and Arabic language is available.	Monday & Wednesday 12:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. (closed 4:30pm-5:30pm for supper) Tuesday & Thursday 4:15 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Friday 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (closed 12:00pm-1:00pm for lunch) Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Grand Bend Area Community Assessment Centre 69 Main St. E, Grand Bend   Call: 519-238-2362 or book a COVID-19 test appointment online	Monday to Friday 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Indigenous Health Centre – Assessment Centre for Indigenous Peoples

*Indigenous Health Centres are only offering testing to members of their First Nation Communities.

• Walpole Island Health Centre
  • Call 519-627-0765
• Kettle & Stony Point First Nation
  • Call 519-786-5647 
• Aamjiwnaang First Nation
  • Call 519-332-6770 ext. 305

Testing For Travel

There are fees associated with travel testing. Consult with the service provider for more information.

Locations offering COVID-19 tests for international travel:

PCR Testing

• Shoppers Drug Marts
• London Travel Clinic
• LifeLabs (none in Lambton County)
• Sarnia Twin Bridges Nurse Practitioner Clinic (TBNPC)**
• COVID-19 At Home PCR Saliva Testing Kit (Rexall)
• SMG Pharmacy

Note: Most airlines require PCR testing. Confirm which type of test is required for the airline and country you are travelling to.

Rapid Antigen Testing

• Shoppers Drug Marts
• Sarnia Twin Bridges Nurse Practitioner Clinic
• TGH Safety Consulting & Training Center
• SMG Pharmacy

Note: Antigen testing is not accepted for entry into Canada, but may be in the country you are travelling to. Understand the testing requirements before booking your travel test.

Proof of a negative test is required pre-departure. 

**PCR test results are often posted within 48 hours, but cannot be guaranteed within the 72-hour flight departure timeframe. Rapid COVID-19 antigen testing is also available. In order to qualify for either test you must not have any COVID-19 symptoms, have not been in close contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case and not within a facility that is in a COVID-19 outbreak.

Travel Testing Requirements

All travellers 5 years of age or older, regardless of citizenship, must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test to enter Canada. The PCR test must be taken within 72 hours of:

• Land Entry: 
  • Entering into Canada; with limited exceptions such as commercial truckers. 
• Flying:
  • Scheduled departure time of your flight to Canada. Airlines will refuse boarding to travellers who are unable to provide a valid molecular test result.  
  • If you have a connecting flight the test must be conducted within 72 hours of the scheduled departure time of your last direct flight to Canada. You may need to schedule the test in your transit city.

Refer to https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid for more information on travel testing or go to the Lambton Public Health Travel Restrictions and Guidance webpage for general travel information.

Test Results

Lambton Public Health will contact you only if you have a positive COVID-19 test result. All individuals can access their test results from the provincial website: covid-19.ontario.ca.

Test results are typically available in 2-10 days and depends on testing volume at the time. Lambton Public Health does not receive test results sooner than what is available on the provincial website. Please only call Lambton Public Health for test results if:

• You or your dependents do not have a health card
• Your test result is taking longer than 10 days
• You are unable to access the website

If you have difficulties accessing the portal for your test result, please call Lambton Public Health at 519-383-8331. If you have received a negative test result, please continue to follow public health safety measures to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Direction will be provided if you have a positive COVID-19 test result.