Editorial: Patience will be required during COVID-19 ‘blitz’ testing in Yavapai County

Alex Rodgers, 6, cries and tries to squirm away from a medical assistant attempting to take a swab sample up his nose at a drive-thru coronavirus testing site Wednesday, April 29, 2020, in Seattle. For the next three Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Spectrum Healthcare will be participating in the blitz at its Prescott location, 990 Willow Creek Road; YRMC is also participating in the Blitz. There will be a free COVID-19 drive-thru testing clinic in Prescott Valley from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on May 2 at the YRMC Del E. Webb Outpatient Center, 3262 N. Windsong Drive. (Elaine Thompson/AP)

Alex Rodgers, 6, cries and tries to squirm away from a medical assistant attempting to take a swab sample up his nose at a drive-thru coronavirus testing site Wednesday, April 29, 2020, in Seattle. For the next three Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Spectrum Healthcare will be participating in the blitz at its Prescott location, 990 Willow Creek Road; YRMC is also participating in the Blitz. There will be a free COVID-19 drive-thru testing clinic in Prescott Valley from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on May 2 at the YRMC Del E. Webb Outpatient Center, 3262 N. Windsong Drive. (Elaine Thompson/AP)

Thanks to a Gov. Doug Ducey executive order to administer 60,000 tests for COVID-19 (coronavirus) over the next three weekends, quad-city residents now have a chance to get tested, and tested quickly, if they so choose.

Enter the proverbial “while supplies last,” here, however.

Although the editorial board at the Courier encourages local residents to do what they feel is best for themselves, and their families, we wanted to be sure to spread awareness and remind everyone how important it will be to practice patience during this process.

Why, you might ask?

For starters, there are multiple locations being set up to test Yavapai County residents, with one each in Prescott, Prescott Valley and Cottonwood. The state’s goal is 10,000-20,000 tests per Saturday, beginning May 2, but that’s for the entire state. And there are following Saturdays scheduled for May 9 and May 16.

Remember, this is the first time a COVID-19 test has been widely available to Arizona residents after state Health Director Cara Christ shifted this week from her initial policy to reserve tests for only those who either had a doctor’s order, or had actual and specific symptoms, to the new more open blitz approach.

Anyone who thinks they are infected with COVID-19, or believes they have been exposed to someone infected with the virus, can participate in the testing blitz. That may equal a lot of people at one time rushing to get a COVID-19 test.

With that, will Yavapai County residents have to wait in line for hours only to be turned away at the end of the day? We’ll have to wait until the first Saturday to find out.

Residents looking to get tested can register online for the two Spectrum Healthcare testing sites in Prescott and Cottonwood at azhealth.gov/testingblitz or spectrumhealthcare-group.org. Officials say the test should be covered by most insurance companies.

There is no online registration for the testing site in Prescott Valley at the Yavapai Regional Medical Center’s Del E. Webb Outpatient Center, but the tests are free.

From what spokesperson Tracey Horn from Spectrum Healthcare, and spokesperson Kenneth Boush from YRMC have said, the COVID-19 tests in hand take 2-3 days for results. And with testing happening on a Saturday, it could be a day or two more.

Blitz testing participants are asked to bring a photo identification and wear masks to help protect healthcare workers who will be doing the testing.

Other than remaining calm and practicing patience, it is also important to continue practicing social distancing. Stay 6 feet away from others, wash hands frequently, and if you don’t need to leave your house while waiting for your test results, don’t.

Stay safe everyone.

See all Arizona Testing Blitz locations at this AZDHS link

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