COVID-19 - The infection caused by the new coronavirus

How do I Access Assessment and/or Testing for COVID-19?

If you think you may have been exposed or may have contracted COVID-19, a great first step is to walk through the BC Ministry of Health Self Assessment Tool. This is an easy to use self-navigation tool that will guide you on how to proceed.

As of March 21, 2020 the Revelstoke Health Centre COVID Testing and Assessment Clinic is up and running. Some important details:

Revelstoke patients who are concerned they may have contracted COVID-19 are advised to call 1-250-814-2230. This phone will be answered by Revelstoke and Salmon Arm Public Health.
Phones are open 8:30-4:30 Monday to Friday, and 9:00-2:00 on weekends
This clinic is run by Public Health and the Interior Health Authority
They will continue to follow the rapidly evolving testing guidelines set-out by the BC Centre for Disease Control.
COVID-19 tests collected locally are sent to provincial reference labs for processing.

At this point community physicians including those at the Selkirk Medical Clinic, will not be performing in-office testing. Patients with mild symptoms of cough or fever with COVID-19 concerns will be referred to the new testing and assessment site.

Please be aware that our physicians are unable to provide accurate data on local case rates. In the event of any positive tests, the role of contact tracing is performed by Public Heath. Our Public Health and Health Authority colleagues are working non-stop to ensure the safety of our community as it pertains to testing and tracking COVID-19.

Our physicians continue to be available to discuss any concerns you may have. We encourage you to book a telehealth appointment with our virtual walk-in doctor or your own family physician. However, moving forward, most COVID-19 related concerns will ultimately be referred to the testing and assessment site.

Please call before you come to our clinic so we can arrange for a phone or video visit with our doctors. Unnecessary visits to the medical clinic only serve to spread infection more widely, put non-infected community members at risk of becoming ill, and will rarely change the management of this disease.

For non-medical COVID-19 Concerns (questions around self-isolation procedures, etc.) you are encouraged to call 1-888-COVID-19 or visit the BC Centre for Disease Control COVID-19 website.

Should I Cancel My Non-Urgent Appointments?

Please do not cancel your appointments. Our staff will be offering to reschedule your booked appointments as telehealth (video) or phone visits. We will continue to see people in person if and when needed. If you’re not sure whether you should be seen in person, we suggest an initial telehealth visit, and a possible follow-up visit at the clinic at the discretion of the doctor.

If it is required that you attend your appointment in person, rest assured that we have done everything we can to minimize the risk to both you and our staff.

How Has Selkirk Medical Adapted for COVID-19?

Telehealth (telephone or video link) visits will be encouraged for all patients whenever possible
All patient are screened on check-in or phone-in for possible COVID-19 symptoms, and if positive are referred instead to the Revelstoke Health Centre COVID Testing and Assessment Clinic
Recalls for all chronic-care (Diabetes, Hearth Failure, Hypertension, COPD) along with recalls for routing pap screening have been temporarily suspended. This will be reassessed regularly.
In the event that a patient with possible COVID-19 is assessed in the clinic, we have implemented isolation and cleaning/disinfection procedures as recommended by the provincial health officer.
We have changed the layout of our wait-rooms to support and encourage social distancing.
We have increased the visibility and signage around hand-washing and hand-sanitization

Where Can I Get More Information?

The BC Centre for Disease Control COVID-19 website is a comprehensive website with information for both the general public and health professionals alike. It is strongly recommended that anyone with questions around COVID-19 visit their site.

For non-medical COVID-19 Concerns (questions around self-isolation procedures, etc.) you are encouraged to call 1-888-COVID-19 or visit the BC Centre for Disease Control COVID-19 website.

Other useful web resources include: