Quincy Reporter

Blessing Health System issued the following announcement on April 20.

As a result of the Illinois Department of Public Health’s expanded testing recommendations, more area residents can now be tested for COVID-19 at Blessing Health System. Expanded testing has been recommended as the state and its communities work toward reopening the economy.

Effective immediately, any person with COVID-19 symptoms of fever, cough, shortness of breath, loss of taste and smell, headache, fatigue/weakness, sneezing and watery eyes, and/or sinus pain/pressure, if those symptoms are unusual for the person and not clearly related to seasonal allergies, and have one or more of the following categories is eligible for COVID-19 testing:

Is hospitalized

Is a healthcare worker or first responder

Lives or works in a congregate setting including a supportive care facility, assisted living facility, group home, homeless shelter, or correctional setting, or

Lives in a confined space: dorm, nursing home, etc., or

Is living in a temporary shelter

Is a front line worker contributing to maintenance of essential community services (e.g. grocery store clerks, licensed child care facility workers)

Has a known exposure to an individual with positive tests or consistent symptoms who will be treated differently based on COVID-19 test results

Is 60 or over or has known chronic health conditions that put them at risk for complications of COVID-19, but no known exposure

Has symptoms of COVID-19 characterized as more than mild.

Individuals who believe they meet the new, expanded COVID-19 testing guidelines must first call the Blessing Health System Hotline, 217-277-3504, for review of symptoms and directions for the next step in their care. The Hotline is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The cost of a COVID-19 test is $55.16 with no copayment or deductible requirements. Under expanded testing guidelines, if the individual’s health insurance does not pay for a COVID-19 test, the individual will be responsible for that cost.

The COVID-19 turn-around –times we are currently experiencing are 1-2 days from IDPH and 2-4 days from LabCorp.

There are two things to consider:

These are greatly improved from the turn-around-times we experienced at the outset of the Coronavirus outbreak.

If the severity of the outbreak should increase and testing volumes increase significantly, these turn-around-times could also increase.

For more information on COVID-19 click here.

Original source can be found here.