By Neil Doyle
BLOOMINGTON – A drive-thru testing site for COVID-19 is coming to McLean County and central Illinois.
The McLean County Health Department on Friday announced a pilot program with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that will offer COVID-19 testing to individuals who meet specific criteria. The testing site will operate out of the McLean County Fairgrounds. The facility will open Saturday, according to the MCHD. It will be operational seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or until the daily allotment of tests runs out, which is about 250 tests per day.
The HHS will provide staff to operate the site, with assistance from the Illinois National Guard, state and local emergency management and public health officials.
“We see so much value in being able to increase testing capacity in Central Illinois through testing sites like this one,” said Jessica McKnight, McLean Health Department Administrator. “We know that access to testing in our area and across the country has been a source of frustration and confusion. While testing will not be an instant solution for COVID-19, we hope it will allow us to have a more accurate picture of what is happening in our community and help us in our fight to stop the spread of this virus.”
Eligibility:
The State of Illinois has determined that the following individuals will receive priority for COVID-19 testing under the HHS community-based testing site program:
• Healthcare workers *with* respiratory symptoms and a temperature of 100.4 or greater
• First responders *with* respiratory symptoms and a temperature of 100.4 or greater
• Seniors (65+) *with* respiratory symptoms and a temperature of 100.4 or greater
• Patients with underlying medical conditions *with* respiratory symptoms and a temperature of 100.4 or greater
NOTE: Individuals who have taken fever-reducing medicines within six hours before arrival at the testing site will not be eligible to be tested. As availability allows, testing criteria may be expanded beyond the initial pilot program.
As a reminder, testing is only available for those who meet the specific criteria. Due to the demand for this service, we anticipate there could be significant wait times associated with these drive-thru community-based testing sites. Please be patient. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, you are urged to call your doctor or emergency department to seek immediate care and instructions. If you are 65 and older, with a fever and mild symptoms, you should limit the number of people in your vehicle following proper social distancing guidance.
Procedure:
Upon arrival at the site, individuals will be required to remain in their vehicles at all times. Testing is limited to four individuals per vehicle, and those individuals must be seated at a seat with a working window. You will be required to show 1) photo identification and 2) healthcare facility employee or first responder ID/badge. Personnel in full medical protective gear will check the individual’s temperature with a no-touch thermometer and use a swab to obtain the necessary sample from the individual’s nose. If you do not meet the HHS testing criteria, you will be diverted back to your residence to monitor symptoms and contact your local healthcare provider. For the safety of the testing personnel, the drive-thru sites will not be able to accommodate walk-up individuals. Individuals must arrive in a vehicle.
Neil Doyle can be reached at [email protected]
