COVID-19 Testing

COVID-19 Response

April 9, 2020

TILLAMOOK, Ore.

COVID-19 Testing:

Who should be tested?

Many people are interested in testing for COVID-19 out of concern for themselves and their loved ones. If you have trouble breathing or feel very ill, call your health care provider or the Tillamook County COVID-19 nurse information line (503.842.3940). They will advise you about whether to see you for testing and/or whether to monitor at home. If you are experiencing an emergency call 911 or go to your local emergency room.

Healthcare providers may decide to have you first tested for other illnesses, like the flu, based on your possible exposure history and any other symptoms you might have.

Individuals who feel very ill should seek appropriate care. If it is an emergency, call 911. If it is not an emergency but you feel sick enough to need a medical appointment, call your doctor’s office. If you don’t have a doctor, call 211 for a list of clinics near you.

Call before you go. If you have flu-like symptoms or have reason to think you might have COVID-19, let your healthcare provider know before you visit. This will help avoid exposing anyone else at the provider’s facility.

Tillamook County Community Health Center contracts with LabCorp to perform the COVID-19 lab test. The cost of the COVID-19 test is $51.31 for self-pay and may be adjusted if you qualify for a reduced sliding fee discount.

What are Oregon’s testing priorities for COVID-19?

Public health goals for COVID-19 testing are:

To understand the geographic spread of the virus within Oregon
To identify groups at highest risk for severe disease
To protect those at highest risk
To understand trends for the infection in Oregon

To these ends, priorities for testing for COVID-19, either at the Oregon State Public Health Laboratory or at other laboratories, are:

Symptomatic residents or inmates in long-term-care facilities, corrections and other high-risk congregate settings; and workers and staff in these facilities, and workers in critical infrastructure. (We expect that healthcare and other employers will take responsibility for their own staff: that they do not work while sick; and if they have exposed others while ill with COVID-like symptoms, that testing will be arranged by the employer.)
Persons hospitalized with otherwise unexplained, apparently viral, pneumonia; and unattended deaths.
Symptomatic individuals identified by local and tribal public health authorities who pose risk to vulnerable populations, should they prove to have COVID-19.
Limited testing of symptomatic outpatients, through our current “Sentinel Provider” surveillance system (for influenza-like illness).

We require Oregon laboratories, and ask out-of-state reference laboratories, to report both positive and negative test results, so that we can calculate percentage positive in various settings and among various demographic groups.

For more answers to frequently asked questions about testing, see this FAQ Sheet put together by the Oregon Health Authority.

About Tillamook County Community Health Centers:
TCCHC has been a Federally Qualified Health Center since 1994, providing medical, dental, behavioral and public health services.

Follow our Facebook @TillamookCHC for daily updates.

Additional resources:

Oregon Health Authority: https://govstatus.egov.com/OR-OHA-COVID-19
Center for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html