A medical clinic in Thunder Bay is preparing to start providing COVID-19 testing this week in an effort to help alleviate the growing backlog.

The Lakehead Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic is planning to offer testing, but initially, it's only open to school-aged children whose families are registered patients with the clinic.

Clinic director and lead nurse practitioner Pam Delgaty said health care providers are trying to be innovative in how they deliver care.

"There's such a need for it right now and the ability for people to access the COVID swabs," Delgaty said. "I know the paramedics locally have been overwhelmed with the response and requests in the past week or so, so we're just trying to help."

Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre officials said discussions have been had with Thunder Bay boards of education about establishing a separate COVID-19 assessment centre specifically related to schools, as a result of increased testing demand from students, parents and educators.

Delgaty said the swabs and supplies could arrive on Tuesday, which would allow testing to begin on Wednesday or Thursday.

As many as 20 tests per day, or 100 per week, could be done, she said.

"(Patients) would call the clinic and then they would be given a time," Delgaty said.

"We would have a parking space allocated purely for COVID testing in our parking lot and there's a number to call when they arrive to the clinic and then one of our staff would come out and do the swab in the car."