Testing Now Available at MCHD COVID Contact Center

By Jeremy Coumbes on September 18, 2020 at 11:17am

Increased COVID-19 testing is available in Morgan County again, starting today.

The Morgan County Health Department has announced COVID testing is now being offered at the Morgan County Contact Center on West College Avenue.

Morgan County Health Department Administrator, Dale Bainter says testing will be offered at the site indefinitely.

Today will mark the first day that the Morgan County Health Department in partnership with Passavant Area Hospital, the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Morgan County Office of Emergency Management, will start testing again directly behind the health department, and there won’t be a need for an appointment it’s just on a walk in, drive up basis. We’ve set it up hopefully to provide the service until there is no longer a need for the service.”

Bainter says the health department has access to the IDPH lab in Springfield and they continue to see test results within 24 to 48 hours after testing.

He says however, there is a minimum amount of time needed for accurate testing, after an individual is exposed to the virus.

So with the virus there is an incubation period and that is that period where it actually has to evolve in your system and reach a detectable level of infection. So we like to see people no sooner than three to four days at the earliest after they have been exposed. And then there is a reason we restrict people for anywhere from 10 to 14 days depending on if they are symptomatic, asymptomatic or just a contact.

So we don’t want to see someone the next day, you catch this but you don’t become a spreader or have a detectable level of the virus in your system immediately. It has to incubate in the system and that takes a few days, and then a test will show the virus active in the individual.”

The Morgan County Health Department’s COVID Contact Center is located at 340 West College Avenue in the former Howe Electric and Butler Supply building. Testing will be offered on Monday, Wednesday and Friday each week from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm.

No appointment is necessary to be tested. To access the site, enter at the intersection of Dunlap Court and Morgan Street.

A valid photo ID and insurance card is requested, but not required to receive services at the testing location.