State Announces Partnership To Test 100,000 Hoosiers Within A Month
Indiana officials announced a partnership Tuesday that will dramatically expand the state’s COVID-19 testing capacity.
OptumServe Health Services will set up 20 testing sites around the state within the next week, with 50 total sites within two weeks. State health department Chief Medical Officer Dr. Lindsay Weaver says anyone with symptoms of COVID-19 – or who has had close contact with a symptomatic person – can get tested, without a doctor’s order.
“And once all 50 sites are open, as many as 6,600 Hoosiers can be tested per day,” Weaver says.
Those first 20 sites, including Muncie, Elwood, Connersville, and Richmond, will be set up in Indiana National Guard armories. The state says they’ll be open at least eight hours a day, Monday through Friday.
OptumServe aims to test 100,000 people within the first 30 days.
Gov. Eric Holcomb says patients at OptumServe sites should get results within 48 hours.
“And it’s free,” Holcomb says. “If you have insurance, you’re going to have to show insurance – but you won’t be turned away if you don’t have insurance.”
The state says the partnership with OptumServe is on a month-to-month basis and costs nearly $18 million, though much of that will be paid for through federal funding.
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This is a rapidly evolving story, and we are working hard to bring you the most up-to-date information. However, we recommend checking the websites of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Indiana State Department of Health for the most recent numbers of COVID-19 cases.
