COVID-19 random testing starts in Windsor at SilverCity parking lot

The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit launched a random testing initiative this week with the first stop in the City of Windsor.

A drive-thru and trailer were set up at the parking lot of SilverCity on Walker Road,to test people for COVID-19. Officials say 385 swab tests were conducted Friday.

The health unit is looking to gatherabout1,300 samples in the City of Windsor and 2,300 to 2,400 across Essex County. They say the testing will help give them a sense of the spread of the virus as more business and services reopen in the province.

"We like to see what impacts all these openings have in the community,and now with more people outside the likelihood of them coming into contact with someone is high," said Dr. Wajid Ahmed, medical officer of health.

Ahmed said the health unit's epidemiologistcalculated the sample size which would be representative for the entire community.

"It's broken down by each of the municipality ... And once we have that data for a statistical purposes we can make some conclusions based on that and that will be helpful for us to know better what's happening in our community," he said.

Ahmed saidthat communitytransmission and close contact are the ways people are now contracting the virus.

"Ifwe see more positive cases at the end of this testing that means we have more positive cases circulating in the community and we need to look at how these reopenings are impacting the community," he said.

Doug Garrodwent to the site to get tested. He said his daughter works in the health-care field and she's also been tested.

"I just think it's important that we get out and get tested and try to find out what this disease is doing to everybody," he said. "How many people have it, and how it's affecting the community, how it's getting spread."

"I just re-entered the workforce a couple of weeks ago got called back to my job, and I'm exposed to the public," said Mark Tisdale who is a courier. "I think this is great the random testing. This is great for anybody that thinks that they may have been exposed. This is wonderful."

Anyone over the age of 12 is welcome to be tested at the centre, which is conducted using a nasal swab. It is recommended people bring their health cardand provide contact information so the health unit can reach out if they test positive.

The testing site outside of SilverCity will be open Fridayfrom 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The site will also be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.