Coronavirus in DeKalb: Testing appointments now available

Those that qualify still need to call and make an appointment — but the DeKalb County Board of Health is opening up COVID-19 testing services to a wider range of residents.

The move is part of a push by Gov. Brian Kemp to expand testing throughout the state. DeKalb public health officials had previously only offered testing to those with a reference number from a doctor.

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Under the new guidelines, the following people will now be able to schedule an appointment for testing:

Hospitalized patients
People with symptoms that fall under the following categories:

Health care workers, first responders and other critical infrastructure workers
Those living in long-term care facilities or other group residential settings
Those 65 years or older
Those with underlying medical conditions
Household members or caregivers of any of the groups above
Those with close contact with a known COVID-19 case

People without symptoms that fall under the following categories, as testing capacity allows:

Healthcare workers, first responders, and other critical infrastructure workers that have been exposed to COVID-19
Residents of long-term care facilities or other group residential settings with an outbreak of COVID-19

Anyone meeting the new criteria must call DeKalb's COVID-19 call center at 404-294-3700 and select Option 1 to schedule an appointment.

The call center is open 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, as well as 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday.

DeKalb County has kept the locations of its two testing sites confidential. The location will only be revealed to individuals who have scheduled a testing appointment.

As of Tuesday evening, Georgia had confirmed 14,578 cases of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. A total of 524 deaths had been reported.

DeKalb County had seen the state’s third-highest case total with 1,144. But its reported death total of 15 was comparatively low.

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