COVID-19 Testing

Individuals eligible for PCR or rapid molecular testing

Local area residents should only seek PCR/molecular testing for COVID-19 if they are eligible.

Symptomatic people who fall into one of the following groups:

• People 60 years of age and older.
• People 18 years of age and older who have one or more comorbidity that puts them at higher risk of severe COVID-19 disease:
  • Cancer
  • Cerebrovascular disease
  • Chronic kidney disease
  • Chronic liver diseases (limited to: cirrhosis, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, alcoholic liver disease, and autoimmune hepatitis)
  • Chronic lung diseases (limited to: bronchiectasis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, interstitial lung disease, pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary embolism)
  • Cystic fibrosis
  • Diabetes mellitus, type 1 and type 2
  • Disabilities (e.g. Down syndrome, learning, intellectual, or developmental disabilities; ADHD; cerebral palsy; congenital disabilities; spinal cord injuries)
  • Heart conditions (e.g., cardiomyopathies, coronary artery disease, heart failure, etc.)
  • HIV infection
  • Mental health disorders (limited to: mood disorders, including depression; schizophrenia spectrum disorders)
  • Obesity
  • Pregnancy and recent pregnancy
  • Primary immunodeficiency diseases
  • Smoking, current or former
  • Solid organ or blood stem cell transplant
  • Tuberculosis
  • Use of corticosteroids or other immunosuppressive medication

• People 18 years of age and older who are unvaccinated or have not completed their primary vaccine series.
• People 18 years of age and older who completed their primary vaccine series AND received their last COVID-19 vaccine dose more than six months ago AND have not had a SARS-CoV-2 infection in the past six months.
• People who are immunocompromised.
• Pregnant people.
• Patients seeking emergency medical care or other outpatients for whom a diagnostic test may guide clinical management, at the discretion of the treating clinician.
• Patient-facing health care workers.
• Staff, volunteers, residents/inpatients, essential care providers, and visitors in highest-risk settings. Highest-risk settings include: hospitals (including complex continuing care facilities and paramedic services), and congregate living settings with medically and socially vulnerable individuals, including, but not limited to long-term care homes, retirement homes, First Nation elder care lodges, group homes, shelters, hospices, correctional institutions, and hospital schools.
• Household members of staff in highest-risk settings and patient-facing health care workers.
• Home and community care workers.
• International agriculture workers in congregate living settings.
• People who are underhoused or experiencing homelessness.
• First responders, including fire, police and paramedics.

Symptomatic/asymptomatic people:

• Individuals who are from a First Nation, Inuit, Métis community, and/or who self-identify as First Nation, Inuit, and Métis, and their household members.
• Individuals travelling into First Nation, Inuit, Métis communities for work.
• On admission/transfer to or from hospital or congregate living setting.
• People in the context of confirmed or suspected outbreaks in highest-risk settings as directed by the local public health unit.
• Individuals, and one accompanying caregiver, with written prior approval for out-of-country medical services from the General Manager, Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP).
• Any patient with a scheduled surgical procedure requiring a general anaesthetic 24 to 48 hours prior to procedure date.
• Newborns born to people with confirmed COVID-19 at the time of birth within 24 hours of delivery, with a repeat test at 48 hours after birth if baseline test is negative, or if the parental test results are pending at the time of discharge.
• People 24 to 48 hours prior to treatment for cancer or prior to hemodialysis, at the discretion of the treating clinician.
• Staff of highest-risk settings who, within the last ten days, have had close contact with an individual with symptoms compatible with COVID-19 or an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19, for the purposes of facilitating return to work, as directed by sector-specific guidance or infection prevention and control (IPAC) or occupational health staff.

How to get tested if eligible

Find a COVID-19 testing location in Ontario.

Accessing your test results

If you have a green photo health card:

• COVID-19 test results can be accessed online through the Ontario government COVID-19 test results website. It may take up to five days for results to be posted on the website.
• If you are not able to find your test results online, contact the testing location or the health care provider who performed the test to learn how to get your results.

For more information about COVID-19, including what to do if you receive a positive test result, please visit durham.ca/CovidInfoHub.