From CDPHE:
Due to weather-related concerns, CDPHaE will postpone the drive-up testing site in Lowry to tomorrow, Saturday, March 14, weather permitting. Current weather conditions put both people being tested and laboratory staff at risk. Cold temperatures can reduce the effectiveness of personal protective equipment (PPE) that protect testing staff from being exposed to the virus and passing it on to others.
Testing will take place tomorrow from noon-2 p.m. The testing center will be able to serve the first 100-150 people in line.
Because Colorado now has capacity for private labs to conduct testing, CDPHE encourages anyone who is symptomatic or who believes they may have been exposed to COVID-19 to call or email their physician first for guidance, obtain a doctor’s order for testing, and request information about private providers where you can get tested. Always call first before reporting to a health care facility for testing.
Providers such as UCHealth, Kaiser Permanente, Children’s Colorado, and Stride Community Health Center have testing capacity.
Any medical provider with a relationship with LabCorp or Quest Diagnostics can test, but be sure to contact your provider ahead of time because many providers have centralized sites for testing due to safety precautions.
People should remember:
- If you have a medical emergency, call 911 - do not report to a testing site, as they are not emergency care facilities. If you have severe respiratory symptoms, especially shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, tell the911 dispatcher about your symptoms. Do not wait for a COVID-19 test to call 911.
- If you are ill or suspect that you were exposed, but are not able to be immediately tested, please stay home, self-isolate, and contact your physician.
- While waiting for their test results, individuals should stay at home. Those who receive positive test results may be issued isolation orders.
- The Colorado Division of Insurance is directing carriers to ensure that coverage is provided for COVID-19 testing, in-network provider office visits, in-network urgent care center visits, and an emergency room visit when a covered person is seeking testing for COVID-19 without the requirement that consumers pay co-pays, deductibles or co-insurance. Carriers must also cover testing by an out-of-network provider, if they cannot conduct the testing. The division is working on formalizing these directives.
The mobile testing center in Lowry has served more than 650 people since it opened on Wednesday.
Continue to stay up to date by visiting colorado.gov/cdphe/2019-novel-coronavirus.
