EDMONTON -- The Butterdome at the University of Alberta will soon be home to a secondary Alberta Health Services assessment and treatment centre.

The centre will be for patients experiencing respiratory or influenza-like symptoms or have COVID-19 but can’t visit an emergency room or doctor’s office because of the risk of transmitting COVID-19.

Patients will be referred to the centre after calling 811 and being assessed by a Health Link nurse.

The centre will be open 16 hours a day and will be able to handle 30 patients per shift. A spokesperson for AHS said that number could be increased as demand increases.

The centre will be staffed by RNs, LPNs, physicians and administrative staff.

Officials hope to have the centre open sometime next week.