By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
Any Missouri resident wanting to get tested for COVID-19 has an opportunity next Tuesday in St. Joseph.
The state of Missouri has purchased 400 test kits for the city of St. Joseph.
City Health Department spokeswoman Stephanie Malita says any resident of Missouri can be tested whether showing symptoms or not.
“But many medical offices are following guidelines to not test people unless they have symptoms. This testing of 400 residents gives those people an opportunity to get tested; those people who do not have symptoms can get tested here,” Malita tells St. Joseph Post.
Anyone interested is encouraged to register. Anyone who registers is guaranteed to be tested. There is no charge for the tests.
Testing will take place between 2pm and 7pm on Tuesday in downtown St. Joseph. The exact location has yet to be chosen. Testing for COVID-19 involves using a swab to take a sample from inside the nose and can be uncomfortable.
Malita says any Missouri residents can receive the free test.
“What this does is gives us a snapshot of where our community is at this point,” Malita says, “because we anticipate that there will be a high, high percentage of people who test negative at an event like this.”
Malita says the free tests will not only provide residents peace of mind, they will provide the city some valuable information as well.
“There is so much we don’t know about COVID-19 and that’s part of why testing events like this are important,” according to Malita. “It does give us an idea of where we are at as a community and the infection rate.”
Click here to register for COVID-19 testing on Tuesday.