DUNKIRK, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Chautauqua County Department of Health says it is offering free COVID-19 rapid testing in Dunkirk and Jamestown over the next two weeks.
The health department says it is offering testing from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 665 Brigam Road in Dunkirk on December 22nd and December 29th.
The health department is offering testing from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 240 Harrison Street in Jamestown on December 23rd and December 30th.
Health officials say you should follow these guidelines before getting tested
- If you have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 90 days, please do NOT sign up for re-testing. It is possible for people to shed detectable SARS-CoV-2 RNA longer than the 10 day isolation period but they are no longer infectious.
- Please be aware that the demand for testing is very high and there have been some technological difficulties with scheduling with the New York State registration site. As a result, appointments are being double booked and several persons are able to register for one time slot. This is resulting in the overbooking of clinics and subsequent wait times for testing. The Chautauqua County Health Department has asked the state to address this issue, but be prepared to wait for testing on the day of your appointment. If waiting for your test is not an option, please seek other testing resources, which are listed on the Health Department webpage.
- The Health Department uses Abbott ID Now analyzing machines for COVID-19 testing at the clinics. After a patient is swabbed, it takes 15 minutes to run each test. The Health Department has a limited supply of machines to run these tests; additional staff will not alleviate wait times. At this time, there are enough supplies to test the number of people who sign up for a testing appointment.
- There is no value in arriving to the testing site before your scheduled appointment.
- Continue to monitor the County website for the link to register by clicking here.
- The quickest way to get an appointment is to visit the website and schedule your appointment online. If you do not have internet access, you may call 1-866-604-6789 for scheduling assistance. However, due to current call volume, it may be take some time to get through to a scheduler, and testing appointments fill up quickly.
