How To Get a COVID-19 Test in Blaine County

WATONGA – The omicron variant of COVID-19 is sweeping through Oklahoma, canceling classes at school districts throughout the state and keeping people home from work.

Geary Public Schools canceled classes this past Friday, Jan. 14, before resuming on Tuesday after the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday.

The omicron variant of COVID-19 is considered more easily transmissible but generally less severe than previous iterations. Still, it is causing hospitalizations and sick time throughout the state, with some medical systems saying they are at a breaking point.

Hospitals across the state are imploring Oklahomans not to visit emergency rooms to be tested for COVID-19.

“We want to see you in our ERs if you are experiencing a true emergency, like trouble breathing. But we have to preserve our very limited resources for truly sick patients,” officials wrote in a letter signed by the chief medical officers at SSM Health St. Anthony, OU Health, Mercy Hospital Oklahoma City, and Integris Health. “If you’re asymptomatic or experiencing mild symptoms, please visit one of the many community testing locations hosted by the health department or IMMY Labs.”

The letter describes OKC emergency departments as “overflowing” and says caregivers are “exhausted.”

“It’s a desperate battle and we need you to be aware and help.”

So how can locals get tested for COVID-19?

Oklahomans can schedule a COVID-19 test at osdh.immytech.com. The Blaine County Health Department says it is using that web address to schedule tests at its Watonga offices.

Drive-through tests are also available at pharmacies like the Walgreens locations in El Reno and Weatherford. Those tests can be scheduled a t walgreens.com/findcare/covi d19/testing.

Many primary care physicians, like those at Watonga’s Mercy Clinic, can also test for COVID-19.

Beginning Wednesday, all Americans can order free COVID-19 tests from COVIDTests.gov. Orders will be limited to four per home, and are expected to ship with in a week to 12 days of ordering

Ḋr. Joe Bryan, a local infectious disease specialist, said in an email that the mailed tests are antigen-based and “not as sensitive as PCR.”

“But a positive test in an ill person is a reliable indicator of COVID-19 infection and the need to act accordingly,” he said.

For those not yet sick, physicians continue to recommend COVID-19 vaccines and booster shots to those who have already had their first course. Boosters are available to all Americans ages 12 and older.

While the vaccines are not preventing transmission of omicron, officials say they are still effective at reducing the severity of COVID-19 illness.

On Tuesday, the Oklahoma State Department of Health reported 3,853 more COVID-19 cases in the state since Monday, with 111,266 active cases statewide.

As of Jan. 10, the state was reporting 57 active cases of COVID-19 in Watonga.