Dear Friend,
As COVID-19 cases surge across the country due to the highly-contagious omicron variant, my office continues to hear concerns from Michiganders struggling to find available COVID-19 tests and experiencing long wait times for results.
Keeping you and your family safe is my top priority. Today, I'm reaching out to provide you with resources on when to get tested, where to find your test, and where to schedule your COVID-19 vaccine.
When to test
The following are CDC guidelines on who should get tested for COVID-19:
- People who have symptoms of COVID-19.
- People who have come into close contact with someone with COVID-19 should be tested to check for infection at least 5 days after they last had close contact with someone with COVID-19. The date of the last close contact is considered day 0.
- People not fully vaccinated with COVID-19 vaccine who are prioritized for expanded community screening for COVID-19.
- People not fully vaccinated with COVID-19 vaccine who have been asked or referred to get testing by their school, workplace, healthcare provider, state, tribal, local external icon or territorial health department.
Where to find tests
Testing is available at the following southeast Michigan health care providers, pharmacies, and urgent care centers. Important reminder: contact the testing providers regarding costs associated with testing, as well as policies regarding health insurance.
Be sure to check about costs before going to any testing site. At certain locations, some types of tests are free or covered by insurance, while others have an out-of-pocket cost.
Health Departments
- The Michigan Department of Health and Human Serviceshas a website that allows users to search for and schedule a COVID-19 test.
- Oakland County operates two testing sites: at the Pontiac Fire Station at 348 South Boulevard West and Southfield City Hall, 26000 Evergreen Road. Test seekers must schedule an appointment by calling (800) 848-5533 or online via Orchard Laboratories. More details
- Wayne County operates a test site at Sheldon School Building in Canton, 44648 Michigan Ave., that is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. No appointment is required, but insurance is requested though not required.More details
- Plymouth-based RapidBio offers PCR testing with results within 48 hours at more than 50 pharmacies across Southeast Michigan and a drive-through testing location at USA Hockey Arena on Beck Road in Plymouth. More details
- LynxDX offers free drive-through testing at sites in Ann Arbor, 648 S. Wagner Road; Ypsilanti, 2515 Ellsworth Road; Brighton, 9299 Goble Drive; and Lansing, 5303 S. Cedar St. Test seekers must register on the LynxDX website to schedule an appointment.
- CVS Pharmacy offers rapid and PCR testing at more than 100 locations in the region. Most sites are booked for testing many days in advance.
- Meijer offers free drive-through testing at more than 100 Meijer and independent pharmacy locations throughout the state.
- Walgreens also offers free drive-through testing at most of its Michigan locations, though few appointments are currently readily available.
- Rite Aid joins its competitors in offering free drive-through COVID-19 testing.
- Beaumont Health offers testing for symptomatic patients with a doctor's order. More details
- Beaumont Urgent Care centers offer limited walk-in testing and by appointment: More details
- Henry Ford Health System offers testing for patients with an appointment and order from their doctor. More details
- Most Ascension MyHealth Urgent Care locations offer testing and appointments are required at some locations. More details
- Michigan Medicine has testing at its hospitals and health centers for its patients and requires a referral. More details
- McLaren operates 13 clinics inside Walgreen's stores offering PCR testing with regional locations in Rochester Hills, Lake Orion, Fenton and Davison. More details
Where to find your vaccine
Vaccines are the most effective way to stop the spread of COVID-19 and reduce complications. If you haven't received your first/second dose, or need to schedule your booster, you can do so here.
Measures to ramp up testing continue to be a top priority for me. That's why I wrote to the Department of Health and Human Services over 3 months ago to request a strategy for increasing testing volume and capacity to meet high demand during surges, in addition to voting in support of every piece of coronavirus-response legislation that comes to the House floor.
The Biden Administration has purchased over 500 million at home tests that will soon be available free of charge to any American who requests them. I will continue to push at the federal level for increased availability of free at home tests for Michiganders.
Stay safe and healthy. We are all in this together, and I will not stop fighting for you.
Sincerely,
Haley Stevens
Member of Congress
Original source can be found here.
