A parent in Thunder Bay, Ont., is calling on the province to increase COVID-19 testing capacity for children.

Neil Pettigrew told CBC News that his children were sent home from school with one of 15 potential symptoms of the virus after having been at school for less than a week.

And while Pettigrew said he contacted the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) for a test last week, he hadn't received a time for a COVID-19 tests until Wednesday. Pettigrew said his family was able to get tested late in the afternoon at a drive through testing site.

"We're in a situation here where we have very few cases in town," Pettigrew said. "This is not Toronto. We are quite fortunate in that regard. However, we are using Toronto regulations that are going to empty the schools within a few weeks."

The first COVID-19 case in a public school in Thunder Bay was reported at Ecole Gron Morgan on Wednesday.

The TBRHSC said it's working on improving capacity, but its booking systems are overwhelmed.

Shane Muir, commander of the Superior North EMS COVID-19 task force said there are currently only two dedicated front-line workers handling COVID-19 testing at the hospital, with support coming in the form of paramedics being brought in for overtime.

Between long-term care homes, and children in need of tests, Muir said demand is very high.

"We're receiving over 200 referrals a day," he said. "It varies at any given time, and currently we're running into a backlogs of [300 to 400] symptomatic patients. The vast majority, currently, is children."

Muir said he doesn't expect any capacity improvements in the short-term.