A Central Saanich user of a medical testing lab remains concerned about its temporary closure.
“I’m glad that it’s temporary, but it’s indefinite because we don’t have an answer (on when it will reopen),” said Dr. Stanley Marcus. “And it still creates a backlog. It doesn’t change the situation at Sidney or the hospital labs. They can say anything is temporary.”
The chiropractor based in Brentwood Bay made these comments after Island Health temporarily closed the Keating Cross Road Medical Laboratory on Nov. 2. Marcus uses that lab on a monthly basis.
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Island Health said in a statement to the Peninsula News Review that the temporary closure aims to “ensure our lab resources and staff are in the best position to support” its response to COVID-19.
“This is a temporary closure and will remain in effect for an indefinite amount of time, as necessary, to respond to COVID-19,” it read.
The statement said that patients can access lab services at nearby Saanich Peninsula Hospital and the Sidney Satellite Medical Laboratory, adding that Island Health has made patients aware of this change, having provided more information.
While Marcus acknowledges the temporary nature of the closure, he still fears that it will lead to additional waits at those other facilities.
“I am OK to wait in line, but I’m concerned about others,” he said in expressing worries about long lineups in inclement weather against the backdrop of COVID-19.
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