Important Notice to Our Customers
LifeLabs has implemented protocols that ensure the health and safety of our employees and customers. As part of our precautions, LifeLabs employees at our blood collection sites have been wearing personal protective equipment such as gloves, gowns, and masks.
Any customers who screen positive for suspected COVID-19, according to pre-screening questions provided by Public Health Agency of Canada, will be asked to wear a mask, and will be immediately isolated in a dedicated bleeding station or ECG room at each location for the protection of our customers and employees. Following each customer, the area will be decontaminated.
We would also like to remind our customers to practice social distancing and good personal hygiene (i.e., thorough hand washing, sneezing or coughing into your elbow instead of your hand, and not touching your eyes, nose, and mouth) to help protect yourself and slow the spread of the virus.
One way to do this is by utilizing our Appointment Booking and Save My Spot app when planning visit our sites so you can limit the time spent at our locations, helping to further limit the spread of the virus.
When planning your visit to LifeLabs, please use our Location Finder to confirm the hours of the location you will be visiting. As this situation continues to evolve, we will continue to assess how best to serve the needs of our customers while protecting the health and safety of the community.
COVID-19: Frequently Asked Questions
- What’s the latest?
As of March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization officially declared the coronavirus (known as COVID-19) a pandemic, which is defined as the worldwide spread of a new disease. This means the organization has provided recommendations to all countries aimed at preventing or reducing cross-border spread of disease, while avoiding unnecessary interference with trade and travel.
As this situation continues to change rapidly, please visit the Public Health Agency of Canada’s website (PHAC) for the most up-to-date information on cases, countries affected, and actions implemented for protection.
The risk of exposure for Canadians and Canadian travelers remains low as indicated by the Public Health Agency of Canada.
Public health risk is continually reassessed as new information becomes available. Click here for more information about coronavirus and access to other Public Health Authorities.
We are still actively screening every customer, however, below outlines the changes to our process, including our response actions:
- We are now servicing patients who screen positive, including servicing those who have tested positive for COVID-19 in general.
- We are no longer collecting information about travel history.
- The question about travel history now includes asking if the patient has have traveled anywhere outside of Canada, including the United States.
Any customers who screen positive for suspected COVID-19, according to pre-screening questions provided by Public Health Agency of Canada, will be asked to wear a mask, and will be immediately isolated in a dedicated bleeding station or ECG room at each location for the protection of our customers and employees. Following each customer, the area will be decontaminated.
- What is the coronavirus?
This novel virus belongs to the family of coronaviruses. Coronaviruses form a large family of viruses, and the illnesses they cause can range from common cold to more severe diseases such as the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
- Am I at risk?
As indicated by the Public Health Agency of Canada, the risk of exposure to 2019-Novel Coronavirus is low for Canadian residents and Canadian travelers.
- What are the symptoms of coronavirus?
Symptoms for the Novel Coronavirus have included:
- fever;
- cough; and
- difficulty breathing.
If you have experience any of these symptoms, avoid contact with others and contact your health care provider or local public health unit.
- I’m worried I may have been exposed or contracted the coronavirus. What do I do?
Please contact your primary physician or other health care provider for further assessment and consultation.
- What safety measures has LifeLabs taken?
Any customers who screen positive for suspected COVID-19, according to pre-screening questions provided by Public Health Agency of Canada, will be asked to wear a mask, and will be immediately isolated in a dedicated bleeding station or ECG room at each location for the protection of our customers and employees. Following each customer, the area will be decontaminated.
Following advice and recommendations from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), our PSC employees will continue to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) for droplet precautions, which includes gloves, gown, eye protection, and a surgical mask. We are also providing surgical masks to our customers to ensure full protection from COVID-19 exposure.
- Why are you now accepting patients who screen positive?
We wanted to ensure the following:
- All our staff were familiar and comfortable with the new procedures to effectively and safely service customers who screen positive
- That personal protective equipment was properly worn and removed
- These procedures would reduce risk of accidental exposure.
- What services are available for customers who screen positive?
We can provide the following services at most of our patient service centres.
- Routine blood collection
- ECG
- Urines
Some tests are aerosol generating and therefore cannot be provided:
- Sputums
- Breath tests
- Tolerance Testing (Glucose and Lactose)
- Are you testing patients for coronavirus?
LifeLabs cannot test patients for coronavirus as we do not complete Nasopharyngeal Swab collections, which is the preferred method of collection for suspected coronavirus. We also do not have the appropriate laboratory facilities to complete diagnostic testing for coronavirus.
- Can customers still drop off samples? Are you accepting COVID-19 samples?
Yes, we are accepting samples, including COVID-19 samples. However, we cannot test for COVID-19.
- Is your waiting area safe?
Customers who screen positive will be prioritized within the queue and immediately isolated; if possible, we will allocate a specific station at each patient service centre for these customers.
If a customer is serviced in an isolated area, the area will be decontaminated immediately once the service is complete.
- Why are your employees wearing a shield, mask, and protective gown when providing service?
Our employees are trained to wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) when there is an escalated risk of transmission for any illness, including the common cold and flu. Should patients present a risk of infection/ transmission, they would don the appropriate PPE for the type of risk presented.
It is recommended to include the use of a plexiglass diver when actively screening patients for coronavirus. However, the design of our facilities does not support this implementation; therefore, our staff are using face shields instead to ensure everyone’s safety.
- I get service from your mobile team, how do I know I’m safe?
Any precautions we have implemented at our facilities are also applied to our mobile units.
- I read something concerning on social media, is it true?
We understand social media is a valuable tool for quickly sharing information with others; however, it is very difficult to vet and filter that information for accuracy.
There have been numerous false reports circulating on social media. For the most accurate and up-to-date information about the coronavirus, please visit the Public Health Agency of Canada website.
NOTICE FOR PHYSICIANS:
For more information on testing and collection, click here.
For more information, please see the Public Health website.
National References: