Individuals throughout St. Claire HealthCare’s service region now have increased access to COVID-19 testing.
“We know our community has wanted improved access to COVID-19 testing and so have we,” said Donald H. Lloyd, II, SCH President/CEO. “We are happy to announce, beginning Thursday, St. Claire will begin offering drive-thru COVID-19 testing for those who meet criteria determined by the Kentucky Department of Public Health (KDPH).”
Drive-thru testing at Morehead will be available by appointment only and individuals are required to be pre-screened in advance to determine if they meet the testing criteria. Testing is available at no cost to patients.
“Even with our expanded testing capacity, testing won’t be available to everyone,” Lloyd added. “We will continue to follow the guidelines determined by the KDPH. Individuals have to be symptomatic, meaning they are running a fever of 100.4 or above and have a cough or shortness of breath. Priority will be given to symptomatic healthcare workers and first responders along with those at a high risk of complications from COVID-19.”
Individuals throughout SCH’s 11-county service region can complete an online screening questionnaire at www.st-claire.org/covidscreening to determine if they meet the testing criteria. Those who qualify will be contacted by phone to schedule an appointment.
To test whether or not you have COVID-19, a sample will be taken by swabbing deep inside the nose or throat, which can be uncomfortable, some may even find the process painful. The sample will be placed in a sterile container and sent to an offsite lab for testing. Results are expected within 24 to 48 hours and patients will be contacted by phone with their test results. While waiting on results, patients will be advised to go home, self-isolate, monitor their symptoms, and seek medical care if symptoms worsen.
The drive-thru testing will be conducted near St. Claire Regional Medical Center (outside the former Morehead Medical Specialists building). You don’t have to be a current patient of St. Claire HealthCare to qualify for testing at this location.
For the latest COVID-19 updates from St. Claire HealthCare, visit www.st-claire.org/covid-19.
[This story is being provided for free to our readers during the coronavirus outbreak. Consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to The Lewis County Herald at http://lewis.kentuckydesigns.net/membership-account.]
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