by Sarah Thomack
St. Joseph Post
Beginning Monday, the Doniphan County Health Department will have weekly COVID-19 testing available through June.
Health Department and Home Health Agency Administrator Sheryl Pierce says the Kansas Department of Health and Environment reached out to them to be a part of expanded testing.
"You still have to qualify for the testing by meeting certain clinical features or if you've had close contact with a person that had a laboratory confirmed COVID-19 (case, history of travel to certain locations that will make you eligible for the testing," Pierce says. "We will not be testing asymptomatic people meaning people with no symptoms we are not allowed to test."
Pierce says symptoms they ask about include fever, chills, sore muscles, tiredness, headaches, sore throat, cough, shortness of breath, any loss of smell or taste and diarrhea.
"There's quite a list there and they have to qualify by meeting at least two of those and having possibly a close contact with a person with COVID-19."
Pierce says, as of Friday, no one had called yet about a risk assessment for testing, but they will have drive-thru testing available from 1:30-3:30 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays in June. Samples will be sent to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment's lab and a 24 to 37 hour turnaround for results is expected.
Click here for more information or contact the Doniphan County Health Department at (785) 985-3591 with questions or for a risk assessment.