When should someone get tested for COVID-19?

On Tuesday, the Canadian County Health Department began drive-up testing at its locations in El Reno and Yukon.

“At this point you can go to your physician or you can call the health department if your physician cannot do tests,” said Maggie Jackson, District 2 Community Engagement director.

District 2 covers the seven counties of Canadian, Logan, Kingfisher, Blaine, Major, Garfield and Grant. On the first day of testing in Canadian County, there were 26 swabs taken in El Reno and 20 in Yukon.

Yukon had another 18 swabs taken on Wednesday but none in El Reno. Testing was halted Thursday due to supply outage but Jackson said both locations would be back up and running Friday.

If a call is made to a health department concerning a COVID-19 test, Jackson said a nurse will do a phone survey of the caller.

“The nurse will ask specific questions and if we have the supplies, then they will schedule a test. We are running low on supplies but we are to get more supplies this week,” said Jackson.

Jackson said some of the delays in testing from the county health departments have been for basic items.

“We had supplies of the viral test mediums but our limiting factor was that we didn’t have the swabs to do the tests. But we got those in and we were able to move forward,” said Jackson.

She is urging those who have private health-care providers to start there for testing services.

“With health-care providers getting more and more tests, that is a great place to get tests so that we can fill the gaps and gets tests to those who do not have insurance,” said Jackson.

Tests administered at the health department are free and Jackson said no proof of insurance is required.

Residents screened by the health department, said Jackson, are given a time to show up at the mobile test in their county. The current test is a swab inserted into a nostril which is similar to the test administrated for the flu.

“Right now we are doing a swab up one nostril but new protocol may be swabbing up two nostrils,” said Jackson.

Once the sample is taken, it’s sealed in a collection tube and that tube is placed into an infectious disease labeled bag with patient information and then sealed.

Jackson said District 2 samples are being tested by the lab at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater.

“We have a carrier service but some of the health departments have been driving all the samples to a central location,” said Jackson.

Once at the lab, the samples can take up to two or three days to process.

“We have seen some tests coming back in two to three days but we are not committing to that time frame. The OSU lab is still new and it's been working on getting a 24-hour shift,” said Jackson.

Jackson said what happens with patients after the tests depends on the results. She said the health department is recommending those who have pending test results remain in self-isolation.

“If you have a negative test, you are obviously showing signs of another type of infection. If the symptoms are still bad, the patient is told to seek care from a health-care provider,” said Jackson.

A positive test result carries more detail, she said.

“Those with a positive test are getting a call from a nurse and told to continue to isolate themselves and we give them advice on how to quarantine themselves and we will continue to follow up with them over the phone the best we can,” said Jackson.

For those in quarantine, said Jackson, there are early warning signs outlined by both the Oklahoma State Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on when to seek emergency attention if symptoms of COVID-19 do not improve.

Those signs include:

▶ Trouble breathing.

▶ Persistent pain or pressure in the chest.

▶ New confusion or inability to arouse.

▶ Bluish lips or face.

Jackson said these signs are not all-inclusive and patients should consult their medical provider for any symptoms that are severe and concerning.