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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2.2.22 For Immediate Release_ Expanding Access to COVID-19 Testing in Butte County From:Almaguer, Lisa To:BOS; Cox, Erin; McSpadden, Elaine; Nicholas, Jodi; Putnam, Jodi; Soderstrom, Monica; Star, Nanette Subject:For Immediate Release: Expanding Access to COVID-19 Testing in Butte County Date:Wednesday, February 2, 2022 8:33:39 AM The following press release will be issued shortly… FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 2, 2022 Expanding Access to COVID-19 Testing in Butte County BUTTE COUNTY, Calif. – As the county continues to experience an unprecedented surge in cases, demand for COVID-19 testing has increased. Butte County Public Health is continually working with state partners to assess the need for increased testing capacity. Effective February 8, 2022, additional testing at the state-sponsored OptumServe testing site will open at Feather River Tribal Health in Oroville located at 2145 5th Avenue. This site will be open Monday through Friday from 8 am to 4 pm and has the capacity to perform 210 scheduled tests per day. The OptumServe location at Whitney Hall on the Chico State Campus remains open every day from 7 am to 7 pm. Free parking is available in the Bryce South Lot (gravel lot off of Warner). Metered parking is available on Legion Ave. Appointments for testing at OptumServe may be reserved online at lhi.care/covidtesting or by calling 1-888-634-1123. Testing continues to be an important public health practice in preventing the spread of COVID-19. Testing of all people and of all ages, including those who: Have no symptoms, but have a known exposure. Have symptoms of COVID-19. For some people, symptoms can be mild and present like a cold or seasonal allergies. Have attended a large, indoor event or gathering. Have returned from travel outside of the country. A positive test early in the course of the illness enables individuals to isolate themselves – reducing the chances that they will infect others and allowing them to seek treatment earlier, likely reducing disease severity and the risk of long-term disability, or death. Free COVID-19 Home Test Kits Order Online: To ensure that all Americans have access to timely COVID-19 testing, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Postal Service have launched COVIDtests.gov, a new site for requesting free home test kits by mail. Every address in the United States is now eligible to receive four free test by signing up at the site. Orders will typically ship in 7-12 days. Self-Reporting COVID-19 Home Test Results: If you receive a positive test result from your home test, you can now voluntarily report these results. Reporting test results will provide more data about transmission rates in Butte County to help identify potential surges in cases for our community. Self-reporting is voluntary, confidential and available in English, Spanish and Hmong. Visit my.primary.health/l/buttecounty to report. Additionally, home test kits, also known as rapid antigen tests, may be available over the counter at pharmacies or by purchase online. Rapid antigen tests are a good option for finding out quickly if someone is contagious right now. However, these tests are less sensitive than the PCR test and may produce false negative results, especially in the beginning of an infection where not enough of the virus is present at time of testing. While PCR tests provided at community testing sites like OptumServe are the most accurate for detecting COVID-19, due to current demand results may take several days and in some cases a week or more. Lastly, residents are urged to only get tested through a verified COVID-19 testing location. These include OptumServe and through your local pharmacy or healthcare provider. There are reports throughout the nation about unofficial COVID-19 testing sites offering fake and unauthorized tests. If you question a testing site legitimacy, check the state website at www.covid19.ca.gov/get-tested/ to see if the site is listed on the website. Testing: Frequently Asked Questions When should I get tested? 1. You should get a COVID-19 test if: You have new symptoms such as fatigue, headache, body/muscle aches, cough, fever, sore throat, and/or congestion. You have symptoms and are at high risk for severe illness because of other medical conditions, age, or have a compromised immune system. You may qualify for treatment to reduce your risk of severe illness. 2. Consider getting tested if: You had a known exposure to someone with COVID 2-5 days ago, especially if you are unvaccinated. 3. Given how extremely contagious the Omicron variant is, if you have symptoms of COVID-19 and cannot get tested: Assume you have COVID-19 and follow isolation guidelines. If members of your household are having similar symptoms, and at least one of them tests positive for COVID-19, you can probably assume that all members have COVID-19 and follow isolation guidelines. 4. Do not get a PCR test if: You have already tested positive with a rapid home test. You need a negative test to end isolation early (for that, use a rapid home/antigen test). I have tested positive for COVID-19. What should I do? Everyone, regardless of vaccination status, previous infection or lack of symptoms who tests positive for COVID-19 must follow the CDPH self-isolation instructions: Stay home for at least 5 days. Isolation can end after day 5 if symptoms are not present or are resolving A diagnostic specimen (rapid antigen preferred) collected on day 5 or later tests negative. If unable to test or choosing not to test, and symptoms are not present or are resolving, isolation can end after day 10. If fever is present, isolation should be continued until fever resolves. If symptoms, other than fever, are not resolving continue to isolate until symptoms are resolving or until after day 10. Wear a well-fitting mask around others for a total of 10 days, especially in indoor settings. I’m having symptoms of COVID-19. Where should I go? Contact your primary care provider to arrange for testing and directions on what to do. If you are experiencing severe symptoms and need emergency care, go to the nearest hospital emergency room. Should I go to the hospital for a COVID-19 test? The Emergency Department is for people who need emergency care. Residents should NOT visit the ER for COVID testing or mild COVID symptoms, such as cough, sore throat, runny nose, or body aches. Emergency room visits should be reserved for those severely ill or who have serious health concerns and require emergency care. ### Lisa Almaguer Butte County Public Health lalmaguer@buttecounty.net http://www.buttecounty.net/publichealth/ COUNTY OF BUTTE E-MAIL DISCLAIMER: This e-mail and any attachment thereto may contain private, confidential, and privileged material for the sole use of the intended recipient. Any review, copying, or distribution of this e-mail (or any attachments thereto) by other than the County of Butte or the intended recipient is strictly prohibited. If you are NOT the intended recipient, please contact the sender immediately and permanently delete the original and any copies of this e-mail and any attachments thereto.