Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Offering Free COVID Testing

(Joplin, MO) – There are still spots available in two community COVID-19 testing sites offered in the Joplin area early next week. The community testing events are for Missouri residents and offered through the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and their partners, including the Missouri National Guard, local health departments, and health care providers in the Joplin area.

Testing will be done from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm on Sunday, July 19 and from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm on Monday, July 20. Locations include Ozark Christian College in Joplin and the Carthage Memorial Hall in Carthage. It is free for Missouri residents.

Individuals must register at health.mo.gov/communitytest. Those who need assistance registering may contact the Missouri COVID-19 Hotline (toll-free) at 877.435.8411. This hotline number has access to language services when needed.

Organizers have posted the following on their website: “The test is a PCR test done by a nasopharyngeal swab to determine if there is an active infections with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. This is not an antigen or anitbody test.

While COVID-19 is spread from person to person, more than 80% of the patients who develop it will only become mildly ill. The concern is for patients with underlying medical conditions and the elderly, who are more likely to need hospital-level supportive care.

People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear two to fourteen days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19:

• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• New loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea

This list, taken from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website, does not include all possible symptoms. The CDC will continue to update this list as they learn more about COVID-19.

Information about the City’s response and recovery related to COVID-19, as well as related announcements, can be found at joplinmo.org/coronavirus. For more details about coronavirus, please visit the CDC’s website at cdc.gov/.

 

Reference:

Lynn Iliff Onstot
City of Joplin
417.624.0820
LOnstot@joplinmo.org