Getting tested for COVID-19
How to know if you should get tested and where you can go.
Visit an assessment centre to get tested for COVID-19. You can also take a self-assessment to help you decide if you need a test.
Install the COVID Alert app
Early detection of COVID-19 is key to keeping each other safe. The COVID Alert app will alert you if you’ve been near anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19.
Download and use the free COVID Alert app.
You can get tested for COVID-19 if you:
- Have at least 1 symptom of COVID-19.
- Do not have symptoms but are worried you may have been exposed to COVID-19. This includes if you had close contact with a confirmed or suspected case, or you were notified of potential exposure by the COVID Alert app.
- Do not have symptoms but are at high risk of getting COVID-19 through your work (for example health care workers, grocery store or food processing plant workers).
The Ontario government continues to advise testing of individuals from specific high-risk priority groups.
If you have symptoms of COVID-19, you must self-isolate and should get tested. If you have any severe symptoms, such as difficulty breathing or chest pain, call 911 or visit the emergency department.
Residents or visitors to Peel are required to self-isolate for 14 days if they have tested positive for COVID-19, have symptoms, are a close contact of a positive case, or are a parent or caregiver of a child who has tested positive or is a close contact of a case. Learn more about Peel Public Health’s Class Order under Section 22 of the Health Protection and Promotion Act.
A negative test does not mean you can’t get infected with COVID-19 in the future. After you’re tested, continue to follow measures to protect yourself and others.
Testing for essential workers
All essential service workers who have symptoms or are tested for COVID-19 should self-isolate and contact their occupational health department or Peel Public Health for further instructions.
If you're a health care worker or work in a health care facility, refer to health care workers for testing and self-isolation guidance.
Other information
You tested positive for COVID-19:
Peel Public Health will contact all positive cases directly.
- Self-isolate at home for 14 days from the start of your symptoms or from the date your test was completed if you don't have symptoms.
- Your household contacts must self-isolate for 14 days after their last exposure to you.
- You can come out of isolation after 14 days if you are feeling well and don't have a fever (your temperature remains lower than 37.8 °C).
- Clearance testing is not needed for you to return to work.
You tested negative for COVID-19:
If you tested negative for COVID-19 you will still need to stay in self-isolation for a period of time, as you could still be at risk of developing COVID-19 based on your exposure, or you may have another illness.
If you had no known exposures to a COVID-19 case and
- had symptoms: stay in-self-isolation for 24 hours after your symptoms resolve.
- had no symptoms: you do not need to self-isolate.
If you recently travelled outside of Canada or have been in close contact (e.g., in the household or workplace) with a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19 and
- had symptoms: stay in self-isolation for 14 days after the start of your symptoms.
- had no symptoms: stay in self-isolation for 14 days from your last known exposure or from the date you returned to Canada.
If you develop new or worsening symptoms, you should get re-tested.
You have been tested but are still waiting for your results:
Most people will need to self-isolate while they wait for their test results. Do not assume that no test result means a negative test, as it may take approximately 7 days to receive results.
If you had symptoms when you got tested:
- you and your household contacts must self-isolate
If you had NO symptoms when you got tested but are a close contact of a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19:
- you must self-isolate and self-monitor for symptoms
- your household contacts do not need to self-isolate
- if you develop symptoms, both you and your household contacts must self-isolate
If you had NO symptoms when you got tested but are at high risk of getting COVID-19 through your work:
- you should self-monitor for symptoms
- if you develop symptoms, both you and your household contacts must self-isolate
Wondering what contact tracing is?
Watch what public health does after someone has tested positive for COVID-19 and learn the difference between a close contact versus a casual interaction.
Timeline for test results
It can take approximately 7 days to receive your COVID-19 test results.
All positive and negative results are sent to the testing site or health care provider that tested you. Public Health receives all positive test results but does not have access to all negative test results.
Peel Public Health does not provide COVID-19 testing.
How to get your test results
- Follow the directions given by the person who tested you.
- Visit the Ontario government's online portal and select “check your lab results” to access your test results online.
- Public Health will notify you by phone if your test result is positive.
- If you have an older health card (red and white health card) or don’t have a health card, your test results may not be available online. Follow the directions given to you by the site where you were tested and contact them if you have any additional questions about your results.
- If you do not have internet access, call your family doctor or nurse practitioner to get your results.
You may be required to continue to self-isolate while you're waiting for test results. For full details refer to the after getting tested section.
Assessment centres
Peel Public Health is not an assessment centre and testing is not provided at our offices. Refer to the assessment centre websites for details on testing criteria, location and hours.
An OHIP card is not required for a test. It's a free service.
Due to high demand, you might have to wait or come back later. Everyone who needs to be tested, will be tested.
Before you visit an assessment centre, check if:
- The centre is open.
- An appointment is required.
- There's a drive-through option.
- They will test small children or babies.
- Information about your condition is needed (pre-screening).
Access more information from the Ontario government about visiting an assessment centre.
If you need urgent care, call 911 or visit the emergency department.
Brampton
South Fletcher's Sportsplex
500 Ray Lawson Blvd
Brampton, ON L6Y 5B3
(North parking lot)
Access South Fletcher’s hours and details.
Peel Memorial Centre for Integrated Health and Wellness
COVID-19, Cold and Flu Clinic
20 Lynch Street
Brampton, ON L6W 2Z8
COVID-19, cold and Flu Clinic hours and details.
Caledon
Headwaters Health Care Centre
140 Rolling Hills Drive
Orangeville, ON L9W 4X8
(Hard-sided tent located at the top parking lot)
Headwaters Health Care Centre hours and details.
Mississauga
Trillium Health Partners Assessment Centres:
Mississauga Hospital
Clinical Administrative Building
15 Bronte College Court
Mississauga, ON J4Y 0K7
Credit Valley Hospital
Valley House
2200 Eglinton Ave West
Mississauga, ON L5M 7S4
Trillium Health Partners assessment centres hours and details.
Pop-up mobile testing centres
If you have no symptoms of COVID-19 but need to get tested visit one of these sites.
Brampton
Greenbriar Recreation Centre
1100 Central Park Drive
Brampton L6S 2C9
Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Mississauga
Peel Regional Paramedics Kingsway Satellite Station
7120 Hurontario Street
Mississauga, ON L5S 1Z8
(South West corner of parking lot by Derry Road and Kingsway Drive)
Monday, September 21 until Sunday, October 4
9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Questions about getting tested for COVID-19
Call Peel Public Health at 905-799-7700, Caledon 905-584-2216. Call centre hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday.
You must self-isolate if you:
- Have symptoms of COVID-19.
- Had contact with someone who has COVID-19 or has symptoms of COVID-19.
- Recently travelled anywhere outside Canada in the past 14 days.
Learn more about your obligations to self-isolate based on Peel Public Health’s Class Order under Section 22 of the Health Protection and Promotion Act, and the Federal Quarantine Act.
How to self-isolate
Access information on how to self-isolate.
This information sheet is also available in multiple languages on our translated resources page.
Self-isolation toolkit
If you’re contacted by public health because you tested positive for COVID-19 or are a close contact of a someone with COVID-19, you’ll be asked to review instructions for self-isolation found in our self-isolation toolkit.
Profile of COVID-19 cases in Peel
Peel Public Health has created a dashboard with information about COVID-19 cases in Peel.
Interactive map of COVID-19 cases in Peel
This map shows only where people with COVID-19 live in Peel. We know that people work and socialize outside of their neighbourhood. Therefore, these maps will not show where people were when they were exposed to COVID-19. It's because of this, areas with lower or higher amounts of cases do not always show the actual risk to the community. The map will be updated every 2 weeks.
