The Burlington County Health Department is already seeing
increases in the number of people being tested for COVID-19 following therecent expansion of its testing program.
More than 600 people were tested last week through the
county’s home testing option or at the County’s new in-person test site atRowan College at Burlington County in Mount Laurel. The total includes 247
people tested through the home testing program and another 365 who were testedat the new test site at the college.
“We know that testing is critical to combating the spread
of the virus so we’re pleased to see county residents and workers takeadvantage of our new expanded program,” said Dr. Herb Conaway, director of the
Burlington County Department of Health.
He noted that positive cases of COVID-19 have increasedacross the county in recent weeks. Between Oct. 6 and Oct. 13 more than 335
county residents tested positive for the virus, a 4% increase.
“Testing provides our residents and workers withinformation they need for their own health and safety and for the health and
safety of their family, friends and co-workers,” Dr. Conaway said. “By all ofus working together and taking commonsense precautions -- such as wearing masks
in public and obeying social distancing rules – we can help control the spreadof this deadly virus. We must not let down our guard. In fact, with cooler
temperatures arriving and increased time spent indoors, we need everyone to beextra vigilant.”
All
county residents are eligible for testing, along with health care workers andfirst responders who work in the county. However, children younger than 6 are
ineligible for home testing.
Under the new program, residents seeking ahome test should visit (www.homecovidtest.org) to enroll on and provide proof of residency or employment.
Both the home testing and the testing at the college site
is provided through a new partnership between the Burlington County Board ofChosen Freeholders, Vault Medical Services of New Jersey, the Rutgers Clinical
Genomics Laboratory and the State of New Jersey.
Underthe program, residents will register online and be sent a home testing kit with
instructions on how to collect a saliva sample and send it the Rutgers lab.Test results are expected to be returned within 72 hours.
Residents
should also have their health insurance card handy, but a lack of insurance will notprevent someone from using at-home COVID-19 testing. Federal rules require the
collection of insurance information to support the testing program. Underfederal law, all forms of public and private insurance must cover FDA-approved
COVID-19 tests with no out-of-pocket costs to insured persons.
Aftereligibility is verified, residents will be emailed a testing code number and a
link to Vault’s webpage to request a county-funded test kit. The kit will beshipped overnight with instructions on how to schedule a Zoom tele-health
meeting with a certified health care worker who will virtually oversee andinstruct the resident about how to properly collect a saliva sample for
shipment to Vault and the Rutgers lab for testing.
Testingat the County’s new fixed site on the RCBC campus is performed on Tuesdays and
Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Times and locations of mobile test sites are under reviewand will be announced soon.
More
than 8,000 people have been tested through the County program since its launchin March at a fixed testing clinic site in Westampton and at mobile clinics throughout the county.
Conaway
also encouraged residents of all ages to obtain a flu shot as soon as possibledue to the coronavirus pandemic overlapping with the upcoming influenza season and the danger that some residents could become infected
with both illnesses.
A schedule of the County’s flu shot clinicsis available online at https://www.co.burlington.nj.us/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1360.
The Health Department is accepting appointments for its child immunization clinics on Mondays from 9:30 am to noon and 2 PM to 5 PM Uninsured children and those covered by New Jersey Family Care Plan A aged 5 to 18 are eligible, along with any individuals of Native American or Alaskan Native descent. To make an appointment go to http://provider.kareo.com/dr-herbert-conaway#?view=booking.