COVID-19, flu, cold clinics close today around the Golden Horseshoe

COVID-19 assessment centres, cold and flu care clinics around the Golden Horseshoe are closing on Friday.

Many hospitals opened additional clinics in the winter to divert patients away from overcrowded emergency rooms, during the surge of flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) cases.

Hamilton Health Sciences says it’s partially due to the declining need for the services, as coronavirus cases tapered off, but it is also because government funding for the clinics ends today.

After thousands of swabs, COVID-19 testing clinics in Hamilton and Niagara will also shut their doors today.

READ MORE: Flu, COVID-19, and cold clinic closes at McMaster Children’s Hospital

“Over approximately three months there were nearly 900 visits to the clinic,” says Dr. Angelo Mikrogianakis, Chief of Pediatrics at McMaster Children’s Hospital.

“This equals hundreds of patients who were provided appropriate and timely care while freeing up resources for those who required emergency care.”

The clinic at McMaster sees around 20 kids a day at its busiest. The clinic says the service has actually been more used in recent months, and that it may have stayed open if funding was still available.

Patients will be directed to contact their primary care provider if they have cough, cold and flu-like respiratory symptoms. Patients can also visit the HHS Urgent Care Centre for more immediate care.

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