Ontario launches interactive COVID-19 self-assessment tool

Ontario has launched an interactive self-assessment tool amid the increasing severity of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The province says the new “easy-to-use” tool will take the public through a series of questions.

The enhanced tool will help determine if the user is negative of the virus or it will provide them with guidance on where to seek care based on their needs.

Users may be told to continue to practice social distancing; self-isolate; call a primary care provider or Telehealth Ontario; or in the case of symptoms such as severe difficulty breathing or severe chest pain, call 911 or go to the emergency department.

Anyone whose self-assessment shows they may have COVID-19 will be advised to call their doctor, who can conduct a virtual assessment by phone or other technology.

“I encourage anyone who may have been exposed to COVID-19, have symptoms or may have travelled outside of Canada to first self-isolate and then take a few seconds to complete our new online assessment tool,” said Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health in a news release. “This easy-to-use tool, developed with guidance from Dr. Williams, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, is a great first step in that process. By answering a few questions, Ontarians will be able to make informed choices about what to do, while the province collects real-time data to enhance our ongoing response.”

The tool will also provide the province with real-time data on the number and geography of users who are told to seek care, self-isolate or to monitor for symptoms.

If you think you have COVID-19 symptoms or have been in close contact with someone who has it, click here to use the self-assessment to help determine how to seek further care.