COVID-19 testing will be available to anyone who wants it, starting Monday. State Health Commissioner Dr. Kris Box announced Friday that all OptumServe testing sites, as well as the State Department of Health’s drive-through sites, will be open to anyone who lives or works in Indiana, regardless of whether they have symptoms or are at high-risk.
“We recognize that this is a significant change from our focus on high-risk individuals and those who are symptomatic,” Box said during Friday’s COVID-19 briefing. “But our testing capacity has improved significantly since the start of this pandemic, and we want Hoosiers to take advantage of that.”
Additionally, Box said the OptumServe sites will now be able to test children under the age of 12.
When it comes to deciding whether or not you should get tested, one thing to consider is who you’ll be spending time with, according to Family and Social Services Administration Chief Medical Officer Dr. Dan Rusyniak. “So for instance, as long-term care facilities start to loosen up some of their restrictions, now doing outdoor visitation and essential family caregiver, if you’re going to be spending time with folks who are high-risk and vulnerable categories, that might also be a good indication to potentially get tested, even if you don’t have symptoms,” Rusyniak said.
Box said another reason to open up testing to anyone is simply to give people peace of mind. But she cautioned that just because someone tests negative for COVID-19 doesn’t mean they can’t be infected later.
She noted that while the state-sponsored sites will test anyone, others may still have additional requirements. A map of testing sites can be found at coronavirus.IN.gov.
