How can I get a COVID-19 test?
Anika H. Ahmed, MD
Being a physician working in public health for more than 25 years, I fully appreciate the importance of testing and the management that follows from the results of a particular test. With the COVID-19 pandemic in full swing, there is a national emergency with most states being affected. Some states have clearly been more deeply impacted so far while others have seen sprouts here and there. The US federal government has declared that the COVID-19 test will be free for all Americans. COVID-19 test centers have been established nation-wide; so far, about 610 test centers have been established. Many laboratories have also announced testing services for COVID-19, with full coverage by all medical insurance plans.
To keep all Americans safe and to decrease the spread of Coronavirus, the government has established drive-through testing centers for COVID-19. Drive-through testing was first started in South Korea and is now used all over the United States. The need for such testing arose because COVID-19 is highly contagious. To prevent further spread from potential positive coronavirus cases, the drive-through model was adopted. It is convenient and hardly takes more than 5-10 minutes. A health care worker in full personal protection equipment (PPE) takes one or two nasal or throat swabs while the patient stays in the car with good ventilation and less chance of spreading the virus to others. The swabs are then sent to a laboratory. Depending on the transit time and the capacity of the lab, the test results are usually available within 24-48 hours, but this could vary state by state, depending on the capacity of the laboratories.
Anytime a person feels the symptoms of COVID-19, such as a fever, a cough, or breathlessness, they should get tested. The local and state governments have established drive-through testing centers but due to limited testing kits, many testing centers have reserved the testing kits for the more severely affected individuals with clearly severe symptoms. Who decides who gets tested? That is a question on the minds of most individuals who may be feeling the initial symptoms of the coronavirus. This question should always be addressed by a doctor. This is why being in communication with your doctor on a telecommunications platform is so crucial to the future management of any illness, in particular COVID-19 right now. Anytime anyone feels the need to be tested for COVID-19, the first step to take is to get in touch immediately with your doctor through a video or audio call, chat, or instant messaging. Remember that these days a doctor can be just a click away and patients now have the luxury of being able to communicate with their doctors from their own homes. This is often both faster and cheaper than a traditional in-office visit (and increasingly free, as insurance and Medicaid provides coverage). Once you are connected with your doctor, all ongoing symptoms can be discussed, and the doctor can be the main person to decide whether you need to be tested for COVID-19. If the doctor advises testing, the local drive-through testing contact information will be shared, which always has a phone number or a website for further information.
Do contact the testing center before heading out, as some testing sites are open only to high-risk workers such as first responders and medical workers, or to members of private healthcare groups. If you are not able to procure a phone number or website for these testing centers from your doctor, check with your state’s Department of Health directly. They will list on their website all essential contact information for nearby testing sites.