Special to Iredell Free News
For the past two weeks the Iredell County Health Department has offered COVID-19 testing to the general community. In various locations across the County, the agency has provided COVID-19 tests to 808 individuals at our drive-thru community testing sites.
In an effort to provide testing to residents who may not have access otherwise, the Health Department will continue offering community drive-thru testing clinics throughout the County.
Community testing for COVID-19 will be offered on Thursday, June 11, at Hebron Baptist Church (175 Hebron Road, Statesville, NC). Testing will take place from 8:15 a.m. and 12 noon.
In addition to individuals with symptoms suggestive of COVID-19, testing has been expanded to include the following groups of individuals:
♦ Close contacts of known positive cases, regardless if one is having symptoms or not; and
♦ Regardless of symptoms, anyone at higher risk of exposure or at a higher risk for severe disease. Such patient populations are:
o Persons who live in or have regular contact with high-risk settings (e.g., long-term care facility, homeless shelter, correctional facility, migrant farmworker camp)
o Persons who are at high risk of severe illness (e.g. people over 65 years of age, people of any age with underlying health conditions)
o Persons who come from historically marginalized populations (e.g., minority populations, individuals of low socio-economic status, etc.)
o Healthcare workers or first responders (e.g. EMS, law enforcement, fire department, military)
o Front-line and essential workers (grocery store clerks, gas station attendants, etc.) in settings where social distancing is difficult to maintain
When you arrive at the testing site we are recommending that you stay in your vehicle the entirety of your visit; however, we will still provide testing to individuals who walk to the community testing site. After being checked in, Iredell County Health Department staff will conduct a throat swab that will be sent to a local lab for testing. Test results will be sent to participants by mail and if confirmed positive, Iredell County Health Department Communicable Disease staff will reach out to you to provide guidance and identify anyone that you may have been in close contact with recently.
CDC and the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services guidance is for anyone with a positive test, even if one is not having symptoms, to self-isolate for 10 days after the date of the test to prevent potential further infection to others. Those with symptoms should remain isolated at least 10 days since symptoms first appeared and until they have had no fever for at least 72 hours without the use of fever reducing medications and show an improvement in other symptoms.
Testing is available to both insured and uninsured, with no out-of-pocket expense. Those with health insurance should bring their insurance information with them to the testing site. Language access services will be available at the testing site during hours of operation.
The Health Department will not be providing treatment to individuals who have or are suspected
to have COVID-19. This community testing site will only be providing testing services. You are encouraged to contact your primary care provider or a medical professional if you feel you need medical care.
Testing will be performed while supplies last. The Health Department will continue providing
community testing for the foreseeable future. Additional information about future community testing clinics will be made available to the community as soon as plans have been solidified.
LEARN MORE
If you have any questions related to community testing being performed by the Iredell County Health Department, please contact us at 704-878-5300.
