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Wheeling Site Performs Nearly 50 COVID-19 Tests On First Day

The drive-thru collection site to test for the coronavirus is located Wheeling Park.

WHEELING — A total of 166 people — including 47 in Wheeling — were tested for COVID-19 Wednesday in the first day of operation for WVU Medicine’s five drive-through collection points.

The collection site in Wheeling Park’s parking lot is staffed by Wheeling Hospital.

A hospital spokeswoman said that on Wednesday, 174 calls were made to a special phone line; 62 people were seen at the testing tent and 47 tests were administered.

The collection site in Wheeling is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., although the testing is not open to the general public, so people must first call the hospital’s “COVID-19 one-call number” at 304-221-3995 to see if they are eligible to be tested.

Other collection points in West Virginia are in Morgantown, Parkersburg, Martinsburg and Bridgeport. At all five sites, medical personnel are collecting specimens from pre-screened patients to test for COVID-19.

“At the sites, we swab patients and send the specimens to one of two national, commercial laboratories for testing,” said Anthony Condia, vice president and chief marketing and communications officer for WVU Medicine.

“We tested 166 patients (Wednesday) and continue to expand our ability to collect specimens by securing more supplies and expanding our phone triage team,” he said.

WVU Medicine is limiting tests to at-risk people who meet its screening criteria and who are symptomatic with symptoms consistent with COVID-19.

“We are limiting tests at this point due to national supply constraints,” Condia explained. “Patients must also have a physician order for the test. We will not test people who show up without a physician order.”

He added, “We also ask that referring providers use their clinical judgment to determine if a patient has signs and symptoms consistent with COVID-19 Most patients with confirmed COVID-19 have developed fever and/or symptoms of acute respiratory illness (e.g., cough, difficulty breathing).”

The testing itself is supported by both Quest Diagnostics and LabCorp, which are processing the specimens that WVU Medicine collects from patients.

Patients will typically learn test results in three to four days, although time will likely vary based on the volume of tests these two companies will be performing.

Tests will be reserved for people who meet screening criteria based on CDC recommendations and are sick with symptoms that are consistent with COVID-19: fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Asymptomatic patients – or those people who have no obvious COVID-19 symptoms – will not be tested.

The screening will not test for seasonal flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) or any other respiratory illness.

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