[M T]

Do any of y'all know how the free testing at the Fairgrounds works?  I saw a news report that said they have free drive-in testing there, but does this mean you must have insurance?  Must you have a doctor referral? Or can literally anyone just drive up and get tested?



The SCC rep who I saw speaking said 40% of infections are asymptomatic, so I think they are encouraging everyone to get tested.

Regarding the SCC Fairgrounds, there is an old (August) but detailed explanation of what they were doing (incl. a video "virtual tour") at
https://www.thefairgrounds.org/covid19/

NOTE that a posting yesterday indicates they are giving out wristbands for time slots and ask you to come back later, or tell you they have no time slots left.  The SCC web site about testing indicates the site is by appointment only.  That seems inconsistent with wristbands.

I went through the scheduling web page until I wound up at a "Enter your email to get to a web page for an appointment," so I can't tell if you can get an appointment today, or not until next week.  I also don't have an easy list of what sites I might (or might not) be able to get an appointment.

"By providing your insurance information, this allows for billing of your insurance for the cost of the test. This also allows us to continue offering more testing in the future. There should not be any out of pocket cost to you.If you do not have insurance, the federal government through the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and other legislation will be assisting in covering the cost."

No doctors referral needed.  The site apparently accepts those with symptoms.

In setting up an appointment, you will be asked who your healthcare provider is, and whether you have contacted them about a test.  The old (August) info indicated you would be asked for your health insurance provider (if any) as part of the registration info, so they could be billed. 


I certainly get the impression that the whole pressure for scheduling days in advance is for the group of people that get tested often, not for people that wake up and realize they have symptoms.  It makes me wonder about the %positive numbers in SCC and throughout the country as being anything more than a measure of how often that group gets tested.   One question they didn't ask was "Have you had a COVID test in the past N days?".

Hopefully, they reserve a significant portion of their testing capacity for people with symptoms to be tested the day of their request for an appointment, but I've never seen that confirmed.

[M T]

Do any of y'all know how the free testing at the Fairgrounds works?  I saw a news report that said they have free drive-in testing there, but does this mean you must have insurance?  Must you have a doctor referral? Or can literally anyone just drive up and get tested?



The SCC rep who I saw speaking said 40% of infections are asymptomatic, so I think they are encouraging everyone to get tested.

Regarding the SCC Fairgrounds, there is an old (August) but detailed explanation of what they were doing (incl. a video "virtual tour") at
https://www.thefairgrounds.org/covid19/

NOTE that a posting yesterday indicates they are giving out wristbands for time slots and ask you to come back later, or tell you they have no time slots left.  The SCC web site about testing indicates the site is by appointment only.  That seems inconsistent with wristbands.

I went through the scheduling web page until I wound up at a "Enter your email to get to a web page for an appointment," so I can't tell if you can get an appointment today, or not until next week.  I also don't have an easy list of what sites I might (or might not) be able to get an appointment.

"By providing your insurance information, this allows for billing of your insurance for the cost of the test. This also allows us to continue offering more testing in the future. There should not be any out of pocket cost to you.If you do not have insurance, the federal government through the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and other legislation will be assisting in covering the cost."

No doctors referral needed.  The site apparently accepts those with symptoms.

In setting up an appointment, you will be asked who your healthcare provider is, and whether you have contacted them about a test.  The old (August) info indicated you would be asked for your health insurance provider (if any) as part of the registration info, so they could be billed. 


I certainly get the impression that the whole pressure for scheduling days in advance is for the group of people that get tested often, not for people that wake up and realize they have symptoms.  It makes me wonder about the %positive numbers in SCC and throughout the country as being anything more than a measure of how often that group gets tested.   One question they didn't ask was "Have you had a COVID test in the past N days?".

Hopefully, they reserve a significant portion of their testing capacity for people with symptoms to be tested the day of their request for an appointment, but I've never seen that confirmed.