The Christian County Health Department announced today it will begin offering a rapid COVID-19 test by appointment two days a week at the department on Canton Street while also reducing the number of days it does free testing at the Tie Breaker Park drive-thru site.
The rapid antigen test is recommended for people who have symptoms of COVID-19, health department spokeswoman Amanda Sweeney told Hoptown Chronicle.
“We are now seeing more and more individuals with COVID-19 symptoms,” Sweeney said, adding the quicker turn-around will allow the department “to offer test results same day and start the investigation process to help prevent the spread.”
The department encourages anyone who is asymptomatic to get the PCR (polymerise chain reaction) test at Tie Breaker Park. “This particular test can detect the virus with or without symptoms,” Sweeney said.
The PCR is a molecular test that detects genetic material in the coronavirus, while the antigen test looks for proteins from the virus, according to an FDA report.
Beginning Wednesday, drive-thru testing at Tie Breaker will be offered 9 to 11 a.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
The rapid test will be available by appointment between 8 a.m. and noon Tuesday and Thursday on a drive-thru basis outside the health department. The cost for a rapid test is $50, and most insurance will cover the cost, said Sweeney. Results will be provided the same day by a phone call. To schedule an appointment, call 270-887-4160, ext. 162.
The state will continue to cover the cost of testing at Tie Breaker Park, she said. Those test results are usually available in two to three days.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
