St. Charles Bend to close drive-thru COVID-19 test site on Friday; testing guidelines revised

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- With the Oregon National Guard scheduled to stand down its operations at St. Charles facilities over the next two weeks, St. Charles Bend is planning to close its drive-through COVID-19 test site on Friday, hospital officials said Tuesday as they also offered revised guidelines on who should or may not need testing. 

Patients who need a COVID-19 test after that date and meet St. Charles’ testing criteria will be encouraged to schedule an appointment at www.stcharleshealthcare.org/COVIDtesting or another test site. To see all available options, visit COVID-19 Testing in Oregon (egov.com).

People who should seek testing from a health care provider include those who:

• Are 65 or older
• Have a chronic health condition such as obesity, diabetes, chronic kidney disease or any other condition that puts them at increased risk of severe disease, or they are pregnant 
• Have moderate or severe illness needing medical evaluation
• Live in a group setting such as a nursing home
• Work in agriculture, food service or an educational setting like a preschool and at-home testing is not available

People who may not need to seek testing from a health care provider include those who:

• Have had close contact with a family member with COVID-19. In this scenario, household members should assume they have COVID-19 and isolate. The exception is if any household members are considered high risk and would benefit from treatment.
• Are mildly ill and do not meet conditions above
• Have tested positive with an at-home kit. Another confirmatory test is not needed. Likewise, symptomatic people with a negative test within three to five days of illness onset do not need a confirmatory test.
• Have had COVID-19 and want to return to work or school. Individuals should be able to return after completing their isolation or quarantine as described at www.deschutes.org/covidinfo