A COVID-19 testing clinic is opening Monday at Victoria International Airport for departing and incoming passengers and for members of the public who are not travelling.
Depending on how much a customer pays, results can be ready in the same day ($375), 24 hours ($250) or 48 hours ($175) through Connectus Global’s new testing site.
Customers will get a digital result (also called a digital health passport) sent to their hand-held device to show to border officials.
Geoff Dickson, Victoria Airport Authority president and chief executive, said, “We think that testing will be here for the foreseeable future and the addition of asymptomatic COVID-19 testing at the airport is one additional measure to support safe air travel, our local community and our award-winning safety and hygiene measures.”
Other companies also offer tests in Greater Victoria and elsewhere on Vancouver Island. The B.C. Centre for Disease Control has a partial list on its website; go to bccdc.ca and search for “where to get a COVID-19 test.”
At the Victoria airport, the testing facility will be in the services centre, just east of the main air terminal building. It will initially be open 8 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday.
Dates and hours may change in the future based on demand, Connectus chief executive Mike Anderson said Wednesday.
“Our goal with this initiative is to provide the public with a quick and convenient testing solution for both international and domestic travel while remaining compliant to the testing and quarantine guidelines that have been put in place by the municipality in that local area, our country and abroad.”
Individuals can schedule an appointment using the Connectus Global YYJ clinic booking tool at connectusglobal.com/victoria-airport-testing-facility or by dropping into the airport clinic where it will accept walk-ins.
Results will be emailed to customers.
Anyone is welcome to be tested, not just travellers, Anderson said.
Testing is accredited by the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Anderson said.
Three staff at one time will be available in the clinic. They will take a shallow nose swab for a PCR or polymerase chain reaction test, also known as a molecular test.
“We haven’t got the approval from Health Canada yet to use the saliva test and that’s really where we want to end up,” Anderson said.
He figures the clinic will be able to test about 300 people per day under its current operating hours.
If demand picks up, the company would consider a city centre location as well.
Anderson said Connectus ran about 15 testing clinics earlier this year across the country for business clients.
Connectus was contracted to carry out testing for the National Hockey League in Canada.
Meanwhile, the Victoria airport is among others in Canada waiting to learn when it will again be permitted to accept international flights, barred for now because of the pandemic.
