KINGWOOD — Free COVID-19 testing is available at four locations in Preston County.
At the most recent Preston County Board of Health meeting, County Health Department Director V.J. Davis noted the sites will be up this week.
Preston-Taylor Community Health Clinics in Eglon, Newburg and Rowlesburg are offering testing 11 a.m.-noon Monday through Friday. Anyone who wants tested should call the clinic for an appointment.
Mon Health Preston Memorial Hospital in Kingwood is offering drive through testing 9 a.m.-noon Monday-Friday and 8 a.m.-noon on Saturday.
Testing is not done at the Preston County Health Department.
“We wanted to try and increase the free community testing in Preston, because we didn’t have any of those going on,” Davis said.
Pharmacies and EMS stations can now start doing testing and be reimbursed, he said. So far none of these have been announced in Preston.
“Hopefully those will increase so you don’t have to use as much of the health department resources and National Guard resources,” Davis said.
Preston is experiencing a surge in COVID-19 infection. On Sunday, the State Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) map put Preston in red on the infection rate, at 31.19.
The county is in gold on the percent positivity metric at 3.81. The daily positivity rate is the number of tests divided by the number of positives. Preston County is also gold on the State Department of Education map.
“Whichever is less is the color your county is,” on the map, Davis explained.
“Since Thursday, Nov. 12, we have received notification of 51 new cases in Preston County,” the Preston Health Department said in a release Monday.
The county’s COVID-19 numbers were: 322 confirmed cases, 42 probable cases, six deaths, 278 recovered cases and 80 active cases.
“We urge all citizens to take precautions. The only way we can slow this current spread of the virus is to take proper precautions. Wear face covering to reduce the risk of spreading your respiratory droplets to others. Practice social distancing to reduce the chance of contracting the virus,” the department said in the release.
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