Free coronavirus tests for the general public will end this week in Lyon County.
GoGetTested.com and WellHealth Management will conclude the free tests at the close of business Thursday. Hours Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday will continue 9 am to 5:30 pm inside the Fairgrounds Anderson Building until the process ends.
Trust Relations Vice President Sarah Thorson says the decision to close the free test line came at the request of the Lyon County Emergency Management Department. Emergency Management Director Jarrod Fell says the request was made for building access. Plans for using the Anderson Building for mass COVID-19 vaccination clinics have been discussed but haven’t been finalized yet. Lyon County has also asked GoGetTested and WellHealth Management for access to a mobile testing platform. Plans on that front are pending.
The free tests have been part of the state’s unified testing strategy to get at least a million Kansas residents tested for COVID-19 by the end of last year. Testing began Dec. 18 with a drive-thru format before shifting inside the Anderson Building early this month.
Initial concerns about insufficient staff, short supplies and the subsequent prioritization of test kits were addressed early. As the process continued, KVOE listeners mentioned issues with results returning over a week after initial testing — questions that went unanswered. GoGetTested.com and WellHealth Management have declined to answer questions about overall test numbers, although Fell says numbers declined significantly as the month continued, and both agencies have deflected questions about result times to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
Residents can set appointments online at www.gogettested.com/kansas.
