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London’s first COVID-19 assessment center closes its doors exactly 16 months to the day after it opened during the first wave.
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Dr. Chris Mackie, London’s Senior Public Health Officer, thanked the staff at the Oakridge Arena COVID-19 Assessment Center during a press conference on Wednesday June 30, 2021 to announce that the site’s last day of operation was the 16th. July will be. (Derek Ruttan / The London Free Press)
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London’s first COVID-19 assessment center closes exactly 16 months to the day after it opened during the first wave of the pandemic.
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The Oakridge Arena assessment center closed Friday after seeing more than 85,000 customers during its 347 days of operation. More than 81,400 COVID-19 tests were carried out in the hockey arena in Westend.
Officials announced the closure of the Oakridge site late last month, a move triggered by declining case numbers and demand for testing in the London area. Some Oakridge Assessment Center staff are being transferred to Earl Nichols Arena to help with the vaccine campaign.
The Oakridge Assessment Center has always been the smaller of the two locations in London. The facility was closed on weekends and holidays and took fewer tests than its counterpart at the Carling Heights Optimist Community Center, which opened on March 19, 2020 days after Oakridge.
So far, more than 221,000 COVID-19 tests have been carried out in the two assessment centers.
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Caution galore: my family’s journey through London’s Covid-19 testing system.
My daughter and I have both felt sick since yesterday. We were worse this morning. Probably a cold – but still. Test time. 1/
– Patrick Maloney (@PatatLFPress) October 8, 2020
London Assessment Centers are operated by the Thames Valley Family Health Team and the London Health Sciences Center in collaboration with the Middlesex-London Health Unit, Middlesex-London Paramedic Services and the City of London.
As Oakridge is returning to its arena roots, people who want a COVID-19 test can go to the Carling location, a participating pharmacy or family doctor, or the MyHealth Testing Center at 279 Wharncliffe Rd. N.
The health department reported 10 new COVID-19 cases and no further deaths on Friday. Of the 10 new cases announced on Friday, four involved people under the age of 30 and four people were 40 to 49 years old.
Arrange a test date
On-line: www.covidtestinglm.ca
Carling site phone: 519-685-8500 ext. 75503
MyHealth Testing Clinic phone: 1-888-637-8661
