As of 11 a.m. on Thursday, June 11, Calhoun County has a cumulative total of 427 confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported to Calhoun County Public Health Department (CCPHD), with a total of 25 deaths attributed to the virus. This information is updated once daily, Monday through Friday, at
www.calhouncountymi.gov
.
New testing opportunities through Rite Aid
CCPHD is pleased to share that Rite Aid, found at 30 E Columbia, Battle Creek, is now offering drive-thru testing for all Calhoun County residents aged 18 years and older. Those interested in the testing must pre-register online for the test prior to arrival at Rite Aid
(
www.riteaid.com
),
and bring a government-issued ID. Testing through Rite Aid is available for all adults whether or not they are experiencing virus symptoms and does not require a phy
sician’s note.
This testing opportunity utilizes a self-swab PCR test, which takes a sample of mucus from the back of your throat and determines if, at the tim
e of testing, you have the COVID-19 virus. It is overseen by a Rite Aid pharmacist. Rite Aid is open 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. Monday – Friday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Awaiting Mass Testing Results
The lab used to process all samples taken at the Albion and Battle Creek mass testing events is called BioReference Labs. The Calhoun County Public Health Department shares the frustrations of our participants in the turn around time for results. BioReference is taking longer to return results to us than the time originally estimated, due to being overwhelm
ed with the number of tests to process.
Test results from the Albion mass testing event have been received by CCPHD and CCPHD staff are contacting each participant as quickly as possible. Results from the Battle Creek event are anticipated Thursday or Friday and those folks will be contacted in the following week.
As we await results, BioReference has shared instructions for event participants who might like to create a free account th
rough their website. Creating an account will allow you to get updates about your results, and e-mail their team to ask any questions you may have.
Instructions provided are as follows:
- Go to bioreference.com/patient-portal and select TEST RESULTS.
- Click the CREATE AN ACCOUNT button and complete the registration process.
- Results may not be available on the patient portal for up to 5-7 days after collection so please continue to check back regularly.
All participants from both the Battle Creek and Albion testing events should still expect a call from CCPHD staff or the National Guard to talk through any necessary guidance and discuss results. Answering these calls is vital to the work of public health, allowing CCPHD to conduct investigations into the asymptomatic spread of the virus. These discussions are protected by HIPAA and are confidential.
Asymptomatic Positives
Epidemiological studies of COVID-19 virus have shown that people who have been infected by the virus, even if they do not display any symptoms (meaning they are asymptomatic), can still transmit the virus to others, with potentially serious or even deadly consequences.
“Of course, people who have symptoms have the potential to spread this virus more easily through coughing and sneezing, but the virus also spreads through your breath, so even if you are not coughing, it is possible to spread COVID-19 to your loved ones just by talking," said Calhoun County Health Officer, Eric Pessell. “This is why wearing face coverings when you are in enclosed spaces continues to be SO important. We need to protect each other – the mask I wear protects you; the mask you wear protects me.”
We know there are many in our community who may be asymptomatic, and identifying these individuals through participation in mass testing events, and testing at facilities like Rite Aid, can help us isolate those who test positive before the worst-case scenario.
