When do I need to talk to a health professional?

You need to talk to a health professional in the following situations:

You must seek immediate medical attention by calling 911 or visiting your nearest emergency
department if you are experiencing any of the following symptoms:

• difficulty breathing
• severe and persistent chest pain
• severe confusion
• weakness
• difficulty speaking or slurred speech
• loss of consciousness or difficulty waking up

If you think you may have contracted COVID-19 and are beginning to have symptoms, you should call your physician or local walk-in clinic before visiting them in person.

• virtual visits may be available, negating the need for you to go out into the community and potentially risk spreading COVID19 to others
  • here are some options to book an appointment in a virtual health clinic:
    • https://www.virtualclinics.ca/
    • https://vivacare.ca/telehealth-online-doctor/
    • https://www.getmaple.ca/msp-and-virtual-healthcare/

• a different medical facility which has specialized equipment, experts and care in place for COVID-19 patients may be recommended to you instead
  • for example, you might be directed to a COVID-19 testing centre
    • you can call 811 to find out where your nearest COVID-19 testing centre is if your health care provider is unsure of this information
    • To find a Collection Center to get tested:
      • Use the B.C. COVID-19 Collection Centre finder (for mobile and desktop)
      • Use the B.C. COVID-19 Collection Centre finder (for Internet Explorer)

• new health and safety procedures may be in place that you need to know about before having an in-person visit at your local health care facility 
  • some examples include
    • you might need to use special protective equipment, like a mask
    • you might need to use a special entrance
    • a nurse or health care worker might meet you outside the clinic to do an initial assessment before entering the building

If you have questions about how to take care of yourself, your family, and your community or if you want to seek a health professional’s advice, you can use these resources: 

• 811 
• phoning your physician or local walk-in clinic 

• keeping up to date on public health information from sites like the WHO or the CDC
• this self assessment from BC’s Ministry of Health can be a useful tool to guide your actions when feeling ill or when concerned about potential COVID19 exposure (https://bc.thrive.health/)