Boone County expanding COVID-19 testing with mobile operation
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
People in Boone County can now access coronavirus testing without a doctor's note, and those efforts will continue to expand in coming weeks.
The Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans' Hospital, Boone Hospital Center and University of Missouri Health Care partnered with the Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services to provide mobile testing throughout the past week. Below are the total number of tests completed at each event:
- May 4 - Centralia Town Square: 13 tests
- Wednesday - Hallsville High School: 29 tests
- Friday - Ashland Baptist Church: 25 tests
- Monday - Turning Point: 26 tests as of 11:20 a.m.
The next event is from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday at Paquin Tower in Columbia, but it will not be the last.
Dr. Ashley Millham, county health department medical director, said the collective will continue mobile testing efforts every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the foreseeable future. Health officials are working to identify the most at-risk and accessible locations for future sites and will release more information either late Monday or early Tuesday.
Outside of the mobile testing collaborative, Millham said there are "several other efforts in place to increase testing" in Boone County.
The health department has already implemented aggressive testing for close contacts of COVID-19 patients, whether they show symptoms of the virus or not. More expansive testing measures are in the works.
All three Columbia hospitals already offer COVID-19 testing at their designated sites. However, the tests require a doctor's order, which typically entails either an in-person or virtual consultation. Some of these services require payment or insurance.
"The whole point is increasing access and making sure we are available for anyone who needs it," Millham said about the mobile testing. "If, for whatever reason, the other strategies don't work for you, that is certainly why we are in existence."
Expanded testing is one of Gov. Mike Parson's goals in reopening Missouri's economy. Millham said the expanded testing efforts in Boone County help with this mission.
"It is two-fold as far as the benefits of this. Not only to allow individuals to know if they have the COVID-19 illness if they have symptoms, to be able to manage that appropriately and know what is going on with their body," Millham said. "But as importantly, I would say, from a public health perspective, it is incredibly important to recognize these infections early on to be able to contain those."
Boone County health officials know of five active cases out of a total of 100 confirmed. One person has died in Boone County from COVID-19.
"Very quickly, (the number of cases) increases exponentially," Millham said. "By addressing this more broadly and improving access, we can really get ahead of it before it increases exponentially from one case."
