A A

COVID-19 Information

Information about COVID-19, including cases at Mackenzie Health and where to go to get vaccinated or receive a COVID-19 test.

At Mackenzie Health, the safety of our patients, staff and visitors is our top priority. 

The province’s dedicated COVID-19 website is your best source of information about COVID-19, how you can protect yourself, what to do if you suspect you may be at risk, the current testing criteria and information about the COVID-19 vaccine. 

While masks may no longer be required in other indoor public settings, patients and their families trust us to care for them when they are at their most vulnerable and we must ensure that patients receive care in a safe environment. That’s why masks will continue to be required in all inpatient and outpatient areas when visiting or providing direct care to patients and for everyone in the Emergency Department, our Hemodialysis Units and Chemotherapy Clinic waiting areas. Mackenzie Health remains a mask-friendly environment and we encourage everyone to wear a mask if they feel more comfortable doing so. Masks continue to be available for everyone at all main entrances to our hospitals

While the Mackenzie Health COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic closed in July 2021, everyone who still needs to get vaccinated has an opportunity to access a vaccine at a number of pharmacies and clinics operated by York Region Public Health. The COVID-19 vaccine is the best tool we have available to us to end the pandemic. We encourage everyone to get vaccinated and to receive a booster as soon as they are eligible. 

On April 1, 2023, the Assessment Centre at Mackenzie Health permanently closed. With changes to COVID-19 testing requirements for staff and the public and increased opportunities for testing available in the community, there was no longer a need for a dedicated testing centre at Mackenzie Health. COVID-19 tests are still available at many testing centres in the community. To find your nearest testing location, visit the provincial government's website. 

Thank you again for your co-operation, patience and understanding.

Mackenzie Health was proud to support the province and York Region as part of the largest vaccination program in recent history. Mackenzie Health administered more than 97,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine between December 2020 and July 2021 and was the first to administer a COVID-19 vaccine in York Region.

The Mackenzie Health COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic at Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital closed to the public on July 11, 2021 once Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital opened as a full-service hospital for the community.

Mackenzie Health has partnered with PureHealth Pharmacy to provide our community with continued access to the COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccines are being administered at the PureHealth Pharmacy locations at both Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital and Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital by appointment only. Walk-ins will not be accommodated. 

Appointments can be booked on PureHealth Pharmacy’s dedicated websites for each location: Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital or Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital.  

Please do not arrive more than 10 minutes before your appointment.

At Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital, patients with confirmed vaccine appointments should enter from Wellness Way and must park in the parking structure on the west side of the hospital. PureHealth Pharmacy is located by the west patient entrance. Those with vaccine appointments at PureHealth Pharmacy will receive a voucher for complimentary parking valid for the parking structure only, at the end of their visit.

Please visit york.ca/COVID19Vaccine or call Access York at 1-877-464-9675 for additional information about vaccinations in York Region.

For more information about the provincial government’s vaccination program, please visit the Ministry of Health’s dedicated COVID-19 vaccine website.

It’s never been more important to get vaccinated. Thank you to everyone who stepped up and did their part by getting the COVID-19 vaccine. We encourage everyone to get their booster shot as soon as they’re eligible as an added layer of protection against COVID-19. Data suggests the COVID-19 vaccine is effective in protecting against the variants and helps to prevent serious disease and hospitalization.

For more information about the COVID-19 booster, take a look at this fact sheet from Ontario Health.

The safety of our patients, families, staff, physicians, and volunteers is our top priority. We also recognize the integral role and impact that loved ones have in providing support to patients.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, we will adjust our guidelines for visitor access to Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital, Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital and our community-based locations to keep everyone safe.

Visiting hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Mackenzie Health permits all patients to have an unlimited number of visitors between visiting hours, though only two visitors will be permitted in a patient room at the same time. We value and appreciate the very important role visitors play in the lives of our patients.

Visitors to Mackenzie Health are no longer required to show proof of full COVID-19 vaccination, though vaccination is still highly encouraged to provide the best possible protection against COVID-19. 

While masks may no longer be required in other indoor public settings, patients and their families trust us to care for them when they are at their most vulnerable and we must ensure that patients receive care in a safe environment. That’s why masks will continue to be required in all inpatient and outpatient areas when visiting or providing direct care to patients and for everyone in the Emergency Department, Hemodialysis Units and Chemotherapy Clinic waiting areas. Mackenzie Health remains a mask-friendly environment and we encourage everyone to wear a mask if they feel more comfortable doing so. Masks continue to be available for everyone at all main entrances to our hospitals.

Patients and visitors can enter through any entrance at Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital. Visitors of long-term care, complex continuing care and palliative care patients should enter through the A-wing entrance. Patients and visitors can enter through the Emergency Department entrance, Main Entrance, west entrance, Birthing Entrance and through the parklink at Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital. 

We recognize that support from family and friends is an important part of a patient's healing process and how challenging it has been for families who want to connect with their loved ones. We will continue to make exceptions on compassionate grounds for some patients. Please contact the care team to discuss the possibility of making these arrangements. To help patients and families stay connected, we have provided dedicated resources to our care teams to support virtual calls, including on weekends.

Paid TV, internet and phone services can be accessed on the tablets available at each bedside. Video chat functionality is also available through each patient's bedside tablet. As soon as we feel it is safe to do so, we will loosen our visitor restrictions. In the meantime, we appreciate your cooperation and understanding.

More information about our plan to support families and caregivers is available on our Visitor Information page. 

The Emergency Departments at Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital and Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital are open 24/7 for our community. The safety of our patients, staff and community is our top priority at Mackenzie Health and we are doing everything possible to keep everyone safe during this COVID-19 crisis.

If you or a loved one do need emergency care, please visit our Emergency Departments at Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital or Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital, or your closest hospital.

On April 1, 2023, the Assessment Centre at Mackenzie Health permanently closed. With changes to COVID-19 testing requirements for staff and the public and increased opportunities for testing available in the community, there was no longer a need for a dedicated testing centre at Mackenzie Health. To find your nearest testing location, visit the provincial government's website. 

In the three years that Mackenzie Health’s Assessment Centres operated at both Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital and Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital, our dedicated team of staff and physicians provided close to 370,000 COVID-19 tests and thousands of clinical assessments. We’re proud to have had the opportunity to provide such a necessary service to our community during the pandemic.

As of April 1, 2023, those eligible for a COVID-19 test can visit a community testing centre to obtain a test.

 

At Mackenzie Health, over the course of the past few years, we have taken a number of steps to create capacity and ensure we have the resources we need to effectively respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and keep our patients and staff safe. Some of these steps include:

  • Opened Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital on February 7, 2021 exclusively as a system solution to fight COVID-19. As of June 6, 2021, Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital became a full-service hospital, providing care to our community; 
  • Operated two COVID-19 Assessment Centres to support the community and provide access to COVID-19 testing. In the three years of operation, our dedicated team of staff and physicians provided close to 370,000 COVID-19 tests and thousands of clinical assessments. 
  • Operated a COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic at Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital to support the rollout of the provincial vaccine program by administering more than 97,000 vaccines to eligible York Region residents, including the first COVID-19 vaccine in York Region;
  • Rescheduled non-urgent clinical activity in the hospital that had been temporarily reduced in an effort to build capacity for acute care and critical care beds if and when we needed them;
  • Created dedicated COVID-19 inpatient units to help maintain the safety of our clinical team and minimize capacity pressures in our Emergency Departments and inpatient areas. This also helped decrease the demand on supplies by reserving key materials for COVID-19 patients;
  • Expanded our critical care space to accommodate additional COVID-19 patients if and when needed;
  • Implemented the universal masking of all inpatients to further align with public health guidance to wear a mask when in shared indoor spaces with people outside your immediate household;
  • Supported long-term care homes, congregate care settings, schools and the school board in our community with testing and infection prevention and control best practices; and
  • Prepared contingency plans to address situations where physicians may need to self-isolate to ensure continuity of care and access to care for those who need it. This includes using specialists with similar skill sets to step in when needed.

It’s more important than ever to work together to keep each other safe. The most important thing you can do is to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The COVID-19 vaccine has proven to be effective at preventing severe illness and hospitalization and is the best tool available to us to end the pandemic. 

In addition to getting the COVID-19 vaccine, including keeping up to date with booster shots, it’s important to take steps to keep the most vulnerable among us safe. Please continue to wear a mask, wash your hands regularly and keep a safe physical distance from others to stop the spread of COVID-19.

The Ontario government and York Region Public Health have some helpful tips available on their websites where you can find out how you can do your part in the fight against COVID-19. 

Share messages of support with our staff

Share a message of appreciation for our frontline workers as they combat COVID-19 by emailing us at publicaffairs@mackenziehealth.ca. Your thoughtful sentiments will help them stay motivated while reinforcing the incredible work they do each and every day to keep us all safe and healthy.  

Donate to our COVID-19 Response Fund

We’re so grateful for our community’s thoughtfulness and willingness to help our frontline staff and everyone at our hospital as they work tirelessly in the fight against COVID-19. In response to the outpouring of generosity, we’ve set up a COVID-19 Response Fund to help support our efforts to keep our patients and community safe during this crisis and beyond. If you’re interested in donating goods or supplies, please contact our Mackenzie Health Foundation team at foundation@mackenziehealth.ca

 

Show your support from your window

Download a printable poster and display it in your window to let our front-line workers know that you’re rallying behind them.

Download the 8.5 * 11″ size poster (letter)

Download the 8.5 * 14″ size poster (legal)

 

 

For information on the signs and symptoms of COVID-19 and what to do, please visit the Government of Canada‘s website or the Province of Ontario’s dedicated webpage.

York Region Public Health has a dedicated webpage for updates specific to York Region cases of COVID-19.  Members of the community can also call Telehealth Ontario at 1-866-797-0000 or York Region Public Health’s Health Connection line at 1-800-361-5653.