Columbus-area health department gets first set of coronavirus tests. Here’s the criteria.
The Georgia Department of Public Health’s West Central Health District received its first set of COVID-19 tests Wednesday morning, spokesperson Pamela Kirkland told the Ledger-Enquirer.
Currently, the health district has the ability to test between 20 and 30 people. It’s unclear when another shipment of those supplies will come, she said.
The department, located at 2100 Comer Avenue in Columbus, oversees 16 counties in the Columbus area: Chattahoochee, Clay, Crisp, Dooly, Harris, Macon, Marion, Muscogee, Quitman, Randolph, Schley, Stewart, Sumter, Talbot, Taylor and Webster.
As state and local health officials have repeated over the past week, tests provided and processed by the state will be limited to patients who meet certain criteria. Patients who want a test much be screened over the phone by health department officials.
Those testing criteria symptoms are:
Hospitalized patients who have signs and symptoms compatible with COVID-19.
Older adults and people with chronic medical conditions and/or an immunocompromised state who show symptoms. These people are at higher risk for poor outcomes. Conditions might include: diabetes, heart disease, chronic lung disease and chronic kidney disease.
People, including healthcare personnel, who within 14 days of showing symptoms had close contact with a suspected or laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patient.
People who have a history of travel from affected geographic areas within 14 days of displaying symptoms.
State testing might be more likely when documented COVID-19 cases are present, and there’s proof the disease is being spread directly from one person to others in the county, Kirkland said.
Still, Kirkland recommends that people contact their primary care doctors first.
“Not everyone is able to be tested,” Kirkland said. “(But) it looks we’re going to be ready (to test.)
Those with more mild symptoms who believe they may have COVID-19 could go to a primary care physician or urgent care center. Medical personnel at those facilities could collect samples and have them sent to private labs like LabCorp, Quest or others. Medical providers are advised to contact private labs about testing patients with mild illness.
The state Department of Public Health recommends those less sick patients self-isolate at home.
In addition to the West Central Health District’s drive-thru testing, MercyMed on 2nd Avenue in Columbus is also offering COVID-19 testing. Patients who come to the MercyMed site must be screened by the health district. If the person meets the testing criteria, the health district will book a testing appointment with MercyMed.
The Georgia Department of Public Health on Wednesday confirmed 197 cases of COVID-19 in the state, up by 51 from Tuesday’s count. Most are in the Atlanta area and none have been confirmed in Columbus.
The Georgia Public Health Laboratory and private labs have conducted a total of 1,508 COVID-19 tests as of March 18, state officials said.
This story was originally published March 18, 2020 at 12:39 PM.