TULSA, Okla. — There are now over 80 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Oklahoma and two deaths. Health officials expect that number to rise as they try to curb the disease.
Part of curbing it is testing and proper treatment. As the state prepares to roll out mobile testing sites, Access Solutions Medical Group is a step ahead, offering drive-up testing.
Jennifer Mangum, the nursing manager for Access, says time is of the essence in combating this pandemic.
"When we found out about the need for it, we started doing training after we did our protocol. We had meetings to make sure we had protocol and supplies and we started Monday," Mangum said.
Mangum says supplies are very short and only those needing to be tested will be after they pass the initial screening call.
"If they're in contact, a healthcare provider, or someone in their family have been tested positive, they're obviously a higher risk to get tested over someone who has just had a cough," Mangum said.
The first step is testing for the flu and those result are back within 15 minutes. Mangum says they've seen a lot of positive flu test, which rules out COVID-19.
From the time a patient pulls into the parking lot, until they know if they need to be tested for coronavirus is about 30 minutes.
The coronavirus test itself is free, however, the flu screening and consultation is $150.
Patients are asked to self quarantine in accordance with the Centers For Disease Control's guidelines, which Access provides a copy to each person.
Mangum says they are getting calls from people without symptoms, but are being asked to be test by their employer before returning to work.
She says this taps into an already depleted supply of protective gear for her staff.
Mangum said, "Right now, because supplies are so short, we're unfortunately unable to test just everybody who wants it. We're going by the Oklahoma State Department guidelines."
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