Department of Health extending Berks COVID-19 testing site through Feb. 12

The Department of Health has extended the COVID-19 testing site in Berks County through February 12 through a partnership with AMI Expeditionary Healthcare.

The nine sites across Pennsylvania are part of an ongoing effort to provide access to free community-based COVID-19 testing sites which will surpass the 18-month mark this February.

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Since September of 2020 because of this effort, which is just one of many across the commonwealth, over 96 sites have been utilized in the majority of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties and over 140,000 tests have been completed.

“We are thankful that this partnership has made a difference for Pennsylvanians seeking to protect themselves and their loved ones over the past year and a half. However, our work is far from over,” Acting Secretary of Health Keara Klinepeter said. “We must continue to provide testing opportunities like these and others across the commonwealth to ensure Pennsylvanians have a place to go if they’ve been exposed or are experiencing COVID symptoms regardless of their vaccination status.”

In Berks County, testing is available from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and 9 a.m. through 3 p.m. on Saturdays through Feb. 12. The testing location is the parking lot of Direct Link Technologies, 2561 Bernville Road, Reading, PA, 19605. Note, enter the parking lot from Van Reed Road.

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The testing sites are open to anyone who feels they need a test. It is important that even people with no symptoms who have tested positive isolate to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

Up to 450 people can be tested per day at most AMI testing sites. Mid-nasal passage swab PCR tests will be performed. Testing is on a first-come, first-serve basis and is free. No appointment is necessary. Testing is open to individuals from any county who are ages 3 and older. Individuals do not need to be experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 to be tested.

Patients are encouraged to bring a photo-ID, but ID is not required to be tested. Registration will also be completed on-site.

Individuals who are tested should self-quarantine while they await their test results. Individuals who live with other people should self-quarantine in a private room and use a private bathroom, if possible. Others living in the home with the individual awaiting test results should also stay at home. The department has additional instructions for individuals waiting for a COVID-19 test result.

Individuals who test positive will receive a phone call from AMI while individuals who test negative will receive a secured-PDF emailed from AMI.

The Wolf Administration has also taken an active role in increasing testing capacity throughout the commonwealth. These efforts include:

Ensuring in-person learning continues by offering K-12 school districts and school-age families free weekly COVID-19 services at no cost to participating schools through the Departments of Health and Education, in partnership with Concentric by Gingko Bioworks.

Educating counties, municipalities, and health systems about the federal reimbursement available to them for eligible COVID-related expenses including activities such as setting up their own community-based testing sites.

Meeting with manufacturers to offer incentives to increase production of COVID-19 tests to meet the growing demand from the private sector to require the public to produce negative COVID-19 tests for travel, public events, dining, and more.

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Berks Weekly
Berks Weekly
Berks Weekly is an independent and locally owned digital newspaper covering the City of Reading and Berks County. Download the mobile app: berksweekly.com/app
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