A LifeLabs in Pitt Meadows has closed temporarily due to staffing shortages directly related to COVID-19 – particularly with the spread of the Omicron variant.
As of Tuesday, Jan. 11, the LifeLabs at 12195 Harris Road closed their doors, cancelling all appointments.
And this was not the only LifeLabs location affected.
“We made the difficult but proactive decision to temporarily close or adjust hours at specific locations in British Columbia,” said the LifeLabs Media Team.
More than 112 million laboratory tests are performed by LifeLabs across the country every year. These tests help diagnose, treat, monitor, and prevent disease, explains the company’s website. The company offers a combination of general diagnostic tests, genetic testing, naturopathic tests, and heart monitoring.
“This change was implemented to maintain consistent and reliable service for our customers and reduce increased pressure on our teams,” said the media team.
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It is unknown how many patients have been affected by this closure or how many appointments were cancelled.
However, the team advised that in order to maintain service in the community, they will be re-deploying affected staff, from affected sites, to nearby, central locations. Customers, as well as healthcare providers will also be re-directed to those nearby locations.
“This is a temporary measure,” explained the team, noting that they will continue to monitor the situation over the next two weeks and provide a further updates.
“We apologize for the inconvenience to our customers, and we appreciate their patience as we continue to navigate these challenging public health circumstances.”
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