Free COVID-19 testing sites will open in Oshkosh, Menasha this week

Free coronavirus testing is returning to the Fox Valley, as two sites in Oshkosh and Menasha will open this week. 

Two drive-thru locations, operated by the Wisconsin National Guard, will be available: 

• Wednesday, Aug. 5, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Fox Cities campus
• Friday, Aug. 7 and Saturday, Aug. 8, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Sunnyview Expo Center 

Anyone over age 5 experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, which now include fever, cough, difficulty breathing, sore throat, runny nose, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, chills, muscle aches or loss of taste and smell, can be tested. People need not be residents of the tri-county area, and minors must be accompanied by a parent.  

Pre-registration is recommended before showing up to the site and can be completed at register.covidconnect.wi.gov. The tests offered are diagnostic tests, not antibody tests, meaning results will tell you if you are currently infected. 

Test results should be received by email and/or phone call in three to seven business days, a Monday press release from the Winnebago County Health Department said. It is important to limit contact with others while waiting for results should you test positive, the release said. 

Each site will have a daily capacity of 500 tests.

The free testing is a collaboration between the city of Menasha, city of Appleton and Winnebago, Outagamie and Calumet counties' health departments, as well as UW-Oshkosh, the Red Cross and the emergency management teams from the tri-county area. More information can be found at the city of Menasha's health department website and the Winnebago County Health Department's site. 

Contact Madeline Heim at 920-996-7266 or mheim@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @madeline_heim.