Where Can You Get a Coronovirus Test?
One of the big questions doctors are getting today is "where can I get a test for Coronovirus". The answer to that is not very clear.
President Trump has just announced that HHS will be making drive through testing available in critical locations. Walmart, Target, Walgreens and CVS have partnered with the White House to help get testing more readily available to Americans. Walmart parking lots will be used to help facilitate this testing.
Local doctors offices are being flooded with patients asking about testing. Primary care doctors don't have the test kits yet for the Coronavirus and they are having those patients contact Infectious Disease specialists at LSU Health.
The CDC has developed a new laboratory test kit. This test is intended for use with upper and lower respiratory specimens collected from persons who meet CDC criteria for COVID-19 testing. But that criteria has been expanded to include more people.
LabCorp is one of the companies providing the test to healthcare providers. They have posted this message to patients:
Labcorp does not currently collect specimens for the test. Patients for whom testing has been ordered should not be sent to a LabCorp location to have a specimen collected. Instead, an appropriate specimen should be collected at the healthcare facility where the patient was seen and the test was ordered. The specimen should be sent to LabCorp using standard procedures. Test results will be available in 3-4 days.
KEEL talked with Dr. John Vanchiere of LSU Health Pediatric Infectious Diseases about Coronavirus. He tells us part of the problem with this virus is that it is so new and we are still learning about it.