As many as one in five Americans traveled for the Thanksgiving holiday, and all of them should be tested for COVID-19, according to top U.S. health officials.
That has some Chicago-area testing centers expecting larger crowds this week.
“We’re watching closely and believe that today will be busy,” Heather Keirnan, a nurse and vice president of operations for Northwestern Medicine Immediate Care, said Tuesday.
So how can you navigate an already stressed system — and get the most convenient, affordable and reliable COVID test possible?
If you have a primary care doctor, start there, Keirnan said.
Your doctor can help you figure out if you actually need a test, and many doctors offer in-office testing. That can reduce your wait in line and eliminate the need to file your own insurance claim. Plus, you’re getting care from a medical professional you know and trust.
If you don’t have a doctor who does testing or don’t want to go that route, you face a dizzying array of options: Everyone from Costco to private clinics to the state of Illinois is offering testing. You can get rapid testing, in-home testing or drive-thru testing.
All of those options come with trade-offs: You may wait in line for hours for free tests offered by the state of Illinois or your county health department, while convenient tests at private clinics can cost $200 or more, and you’ll likely have to pay out of pocket and submit your own insurance claim.
At the Oak Park Coronavirus Citizen Response Facebook page, members complain that convenient, affordable testing is a “moving target” — with a site that had plenty of availability one week getting slammed by crowds the next. In-home testing done by mail, hailed as a great workaround just a few weeks ago, is now often restricted to those with symptoms or a medical professional’s referral.
One solution is to crowdsource: On Facebook pages such as Oak Park Coronavirus Citizen Response, members submit questions to their friends and neighbors and get up-to-date information about local testing sites, appointment availability, cost and wait times.
Keirnan pointed out that college students have been networking about testing for the Thanksgiving break in recent weeks, so they have fresh information. If you know a college student — or parents of a college student — you may want to pick their brains.
Many of us are looking for rapid tests with same-day results, but those tests are probably best for people who actually have COVID-19 symptoms, Keirnan said. If you don’t have symptoms, the PCR test, which can detect very small amounts of the coronavirus, is a better choice, she said.
Northwestern offers PCR tests, as do other local hospitals and state drive-up testing sites.
For free tests, your options include state drive-up sites in Arlington Heights, Harwood Heights and South Holland. Tests are free for those without insurance; if you have insurance, bring your information and the state will submit a claim.
The city of Chicago and Cook County also offer free testing for those in need.
There’s been confusion in recent months over whether Americans can be charged for COVID-19 tests. The federal government initially required that tests be free, according to Keirnan, but today health care providers can and do charge for testing. She said insurers have done a good job of covering the costs.
For those who care more about convenience than cost, private clinics offer short waits. Many require upfront payments of $175 to $300. If you want to submit a claim to your insurance company, check the rules for coverage. Your insurer may require that you are referred for testing by a doctor.
Northwestern offers drive-up testing for those with Northwestern doctors’ referrals in Wheaton, Aurora, St. Charles, Bartlett, Glenview, Vernon Hills, Sycamore, McHenry and Huntley, and both drive-up and walk-up testing at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in downtown Chicago.
Wherever you go for testing, you should wear a mask and bring hand sanitizer, Keirnan said. At Northwestern, you’ll also need your insurance information, if you have insurance, and a photo ID.
After getting tested, you should go home and stay home until you get your results, she said.
If you had symptoms at the time of testing, try to find a separate place in your home where you can live apart from other household members. Wear a mask, and if possible, use a separate bathroom.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends quarantining for 14 days after being exposed to a person with COVID-19 as the best way to reduce the risk to others. However, in a Dec. 2 briefing, the CDC announced that two shorter quarantines are now considered acceptable: a 10-day quarantine for those with no symptoms, and a seven-day quarantine for those with no symptoms and a negative COVID-19 test within 48 hours of the end of the quarantine.
Regardless of whether you have had to quarantine, remember that if your results come back negative, you can still catch COVID-19, Keirnan said. Use a mask when you go outside, practice social distancing, and don’t socialize with anyone outside your household.