Emergency departments can be busy and sometimes, to avoid long unnecessary waits, your child’s illness could best be treated at a doctor's office, a walk-in clinic or an urgent primary care centre. If your child is not seriously ill, contact HealthLink BC at 8-1-1 for immediate health advice.
Take your child to the emergency department if they have:
- a persistent high fever for more than four days
- excessive coughing, especially with a fever
- an injured limb that looks swollen or crooked
- not urinated within 12 hours and have stopped drinking fluids
- blue lips and skin that appears pale
- trouble breathing, especially with rapid or laboured breathing patterns
- excessive vomiting, particularly if it is bright green or there is blood in the vomit
- ingested a toxic chemical, including a suspected drug or alcohol overdose
- fallen more than five feet or 1.5 metres
- started vomiting after a head injury
- a visible bump after a head injury and the child is less than three months old
- lost consciousness
If your child is thinking about ending their life, get urgent help by calling 9-1-1 or 1-800-SUICIDE.
For a possible poisoning or exposure to a toxic substance, call Poison Control at 1-800-567-8911.
Take your child to a family doctor/walk-in clinic or urgent/primary care centre for non-life threatening illness or injuries:
- rash
- pink eye
- earache
- cough, cold, sore throat
- fever in child 3 months or older
- strain or sprain
If your family doctor is not available, check medimap.ca for walk-in clinic wait times and hours or see a doctor virtually through TELUS Health MyCare or Viva Care.
To find locations for COVID-19 testing, visit the BCCDC website.
