The Minnesota Department of Health has shut down COVID verification sites that other people once visited en masse. But the firm said use of the sites in places like the Midway community of St. Paul and Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport had fallen. But that has left some Minnesotans wondering where they’ll get a COVID check now.
“It’s just a natural transition from our emergency reaction cadres to normal physical care and public fitness operations,” said Chris Elvrum, COVID operations manager for the state fitness department. . “
During one of its last days of operation, the MSP’s COVID screening site was silent, with the roar of air purifiers.
The control site, located in Terminal 1 of the airport, had its own free parking just outside the entrance.
Visitors waited in their cars for the effects of an immediate check or PCR. After testing positive, they had the opportunity to meet with a medical professional and, in all likelihood, obtain drugs to treat the virus, such as Paxlovid.
Nancy Pellowski Wiger said she recorded it several times with her two children.
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“It’s very convenient, super simple to access, to answer all of our questions, which is fantastic,” Pellowski Wiger said, adding that it’s a smart position to monitor her kids, ages 6 and 8.
Months ago, the verification site was filled with visitors. Some are checked before boarding your plane, others simply pass by before starting your day.
A year ago, the site conducted an average of 1,456 COVID tests per day, according to state data. But attendance dropped to about a hundred per day, prompting the Minnesota Department of Health to shut down the sites.
This resolution left those who stopped at the MSP test site involved about where they and others will be able to get tested now.
When the pandemic began, University of Minnesota graduate student Julia Brokaw said she was still struggling to find a PCR test. foremost.
“I fear for everyone who relies on those testing centers, who may not have insurance, who could be the main threat and want Paxlovid and a doctor,” Brokaw said.
MDH’s Elvrum said other features, such as cutting places or hours, were being considered, but they simply didn’t see the assistance needed to make the continued operation work.
But Brokaw said he didn’t think that was enough of an explanation to shut them down.
“Because it doesn’t matter who comes and who wants the service and who is the most vulnerable,” he said. “I think it’s worth keeping them open whenever it’s a user and is. “
While there are now more features to access a COVID check than there were years ago, many other people have switched to immediate in-home checks. Meanwhile, accessing PCR checks is rarely an undeniable process.
Stores like Walgreens and CVS offer loose PCR tests, you may want to meet certain criteria to get them, such as having COVID symptoms.
The state also maintains a list of other providers that offer COVID testing, however, some have limited hours, require appointments, or only provide certain types of tests, such as nasal swab PCR alone or salivary PCR tests.
Health officials continue to call the department’s public COVID hotline, 1-833-431-2053, to call if you have been billed for a test. The hotline is open from 9 am to 5 pm. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The hours are from 9 am to 7 pm. Tuesday and Thursday.
Nurse practitioner Kelly Boie said she heard from others who were unhappy with the checkpoint when the airport closed.
“People trusted that. And now they’re going to have to locate other tactics or other positions to be tested,” Boie said. “Change is. . . difficult. “
It’s also a replacement for the other people who paint there, many of whom now have new jobs since the site closed.