SPOKANE, WA – The fight to contain the coronavirus is getting red hot. A new map from the CDC is showing the levels of community spread across the country with red as high, orange as substantial and yellow as moderate.
Doctors now say the omicron variant is spreading so quickly, it’s unlike the other surges of COVID we’ve seen before. With so many people being exposed to or getting infected with COVID, more are looking to get tested before going back to work or school. But there’s a new uphill battle, because tests are getting much harder to come by. If you try to order an at-home test through a link on the Spokane Regional Health District’s website, this is what pops up: “Thank you for your interest in Say Yes! COVID Test. We have had an overwhelming response to the initiative and have already exhausted the limited supply available for home delivery.” As millions return home from holiday travel, some are coming back unsure whether or not they have COVID, or if can even get a test in time for work or school. The City of Spokane was relying on the Say Yes campaign, but now that the supply of free at-home tests has run out, they’re in a bit of a pickle. “So the ‘Say Yes’ COVID test initiative was a National Institute of Health and CDC public health initiative that they allotted a certain number of tests to Washington state, and we utilized those. So those have all been distributed,” Kira Lewis, a public health nurse with the Communicable Disease Program for the City said. She said it’s not just Spokane’s testing that’s affected, but the entire State’s. “That initiative is no longer operational in the state of Washington, which is sad, because that was a really incredible program,” she said. An incredibly useful program that distributed around one million tests statewide. “I believe their last tests were all ordered, I believe, by the 24th,” she said. And tests are more important now than ever as COVID is not showing a slowdown just because it’s 2022. “I think it’s fair to say it’s probably going to get worse. What we’re seeing around the world and across the country is a pretty dramatic increase in transmission and a lot more cases than we’ve been seeing recently. So yeah, I think we can anticipate that here,” she said. So how can you get tested and help stop the spread? While the state hasn’t announced another free at-home testing campaign, there are still several ways to get tested. Some options are free, others are not. If you can find them, you can sometimes buy them in stores or online. In person, you can make appointments at pharmacies, urgent care offices, provider’s clinics, community testing sites, or you can even get a PCR test with curbside pickup at the Spokane Public Libraries. “They might not be able to get a test right away. It may take several days before you can get an appointment because at this time, there’s a higher need for testing than the available resources and appointments,” she said. Right now, getting an appointment can take longer than the 5-day quarantine period mandated by the CDC, making some question whether or not to even get tested. “That is a really complicated situation, as some of the guidance has changed on isolation, depending on symptoms, but I think I would still recommend that people try and get a test,” she said. Lewis said the SRHD is currently looking at more options to provide testing across the county, but couldn’t relay any solid plans just yet. If and when a new program does become available, KHQ will keep you posted!
