Submitted Article
The Pennsylvania Department of Health today announced beginning next week a drive-thru testing clinic will be held in Bradford County, one of five regional clinics scheduled throughout the state, according to Rep. Tina Pickett (Bradford/Sullivan/Susquehanna).
Testing will be available daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. starting Tuesday, Jan. 12, through Saturday, Jan. 16, at the Towanda Airport, 415 Airport Road.
The department contracted with AMI Expeditionary Healthcare (AMI), which can test up to 450 patients per day. Mid-nasal passage swab PCR tests will be performed. Testing is on a first-come, first-served basis and is completely free to all patients. Testing is also open to individuals who are not county residents. Patients must be ages three and older and are not required to show symptoms of COVID-19 in order to be tested. No appointment is necessary. Patients are encouraged to bring a photo-ID or insurance card. Registration will also be completed on-site. The turnaround time for testing results is two to seven days after testing.
Individuals who are tested should self-quarantine while they await test results. Individuals who live with other people should self-quarantine in a private room and use a private bathroom if possible. Others living in the home with the individual awaiting test results should also stay at home. Individuals who test positive will receive a phone call from AMI while individuals who test negative will receive a secured-PDF emailed to them from AMI.
The counties with testing sites will continue to change weekly over the next seven weeks so that 61 counties will eventually be covered by dedicated pop-up testing sites over a 12-week period. The department believes that increased testing in the counties will assist in determining the prevalence of the virus and assist the county in moving forward.