ARNPRIOR, ONT. -- Renfrew County Paramedics are offering drive-thru COVID-19 testing now through Saturday to anyone in the county who wants a test.
Renfrew County chief paramedic Michael Nolan tells CTV News, drive-thru sites made sense for the region.
"We’ve chosen to go with drive-thru swabbing sites across the county, recognizing that the county is so large and the population is spread out."
Four sites are set up every day in the Ottawa Valley, rotating through Cobden, Pembroke, Arnprior, the town of Renfrew, Petawawa, Deep River, Eganville, and Barry's Bay. The sites are open for two hours at a time, and see up to 120 vehicles.
"The whole procedure takes less than a minute," Nolan says. "You get to stay in your car, they’ll get you positioned in your seat, lean in, get the swab, put it in the vial and, at the end of the day, it will go off to the lab in Ottawa."
Drive-up testing is allowed, but paramedics are requesting, if you want a test, to register 24 hours in advance by calling 1-844-727-6404.
Results are ready in 24 to 72 hours and can be viewed online at https://covid-19.ontario.ca/
Renfrew County Paramedics say the drive-thru testing is only available for residents of Renfrew County. This graphic shows who should go for COVID-19 testing at the drive-thru testing site.
