MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The health department is encouraging more people to get tested, including first responders, grocery store employees and people work at nursing homes and jails, whether they have symptoms or not.
Shelby County health officials say their goal is to have 2,400 coronavirus tests available per day across the county, as more community testing sites open.
Dr. Alisa Haushalter, the health department’s director, is encouraging more people to get tested.
“Anyone who works in a correctional facility, that would include jail or prison, can access testing at any of the community sites,” even if they don’t have symptoms, she said.
She said the sites are also open to first responders and people who support critical infrastructure.
That includes people who work in gas stations, fast food establishments, grocery stores, pharmacies, grocery stores or public utilities, she said.
The more tests, the easier it is to track the virus.Her team takes each confirmed COVID-19 case, tracks close contacts, then puts people in quarantine and isolation.
In the last day or so, the CDC changed their recommendations for isolation for people who test positive. Now, Haushalter said, people infected with the virus need to remain in isolation for 10 days instead of seven, and then remain symptom free for another three days.
“It is challenging, day to day, to make sure we are maintaining our other operations as well as making sure we have a robust COVID-19 response,” she said.
That’s especially true as more and more outbreaks are being identified in senior care facilities.
Tuesday, another facility was added. Compass Rehabilitation has 33 residents and 7 staff who tested positive.
When you look the facilities all together, there have been 21 deaths, with 168 residents and 83 staff infected.
“I do anticipate our numbers will go up,” Haushalter said.
People whose occupations are described below can get testing at any of the community testing sites whether they have symptoms or not:
- Work in a health care facility
- Work in correctional facilities, such as jails or prisons
- Serve as first responders, such as paramedics, emergency medical technicians, law enforcement officers or firefighters
- Support critical infrastructure, such as workers in gas stations, fast food, grocery stores, pharmacies, restaurants, gas stations, public utilities, and sanitation
