BARRIE, ONT. -- The Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) is making some changes to COVID-19 testing clinics to battle the overwhelming demand by moving operations to the former Barrie Police Services headquarters on Sperling Drive.

The health unit reports infection rates have doubled in the last month as assessment clinics struggle to keep up.

Health officials at RVH say the new centre will be able to test roughly 600 people daily.

The new clinic is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and provides drive-thru testing.

By November, the Sperling location will be a fully COVID-19 Assessment Centre offering similar services as the Huronia Road clinic.

The province recently released new guidelines for who should be tested, focusing on those with symptoms, people travelling or visiting long-term care homes and anyone in close contact with a positive case.

RVH Operations Director Stella Johnson says many patients at the clinic show cold-like symptoms. "We're seeing primarily our younger children or middle-aged individuals who have that runny nose, that nasal congestion, some do have a sore throat as well; those patients continue to qualify for swabbing."

The new location will replace the hospital's drive-thru Clinic C, located at the hospital's Atrium entrance.