Spokane County will move to a new Covid testing phase beginning next Friday.
For the last few weeks, people wanting tests have been able to go to their doctor or to the county’s mobile testing clinic at the Spokane County Fairgrounds.
Susan Sjoberg from the Spokane Regional Health District says that clinic will now be phased out. That means, instead of just driving up at the mobile clinic, you’ll need to contact your health care provider first.
“Ideally, the guidance has always been call your health care provider first before they send you to the community screening site, but we know that that hasn’t always been the case. So, until we have significantly improved ability to do more testing, related to testing supplies and processing, ideally we do want people to call in advance and let their provider know, especially if they’re symptomatic, that they’re coming in," she said.
Sjoberg says Providence, MultiCare, CHAS and Kaiser Permanente all have testing capabilities and facilities. She says that gives many more sites for people to consider, in a much more geographically dispersed way.
Health Officer Bob Lutz says the health district in considering whether to open another community testing site, perhaps in the West Plains.