ERIE COUNTY, N.Y. — The Erie County Department of Health announced changes in the COVID-19 diagnostic testing criteria.
Health officials say they will offer tests to Erie County residents who are under quarantine as close contacts of confirmed positive COVID-19 cases or who are symptomatic Erie County residents.
The change will start November 12 with appointments already scheduled.
The diagnostic COVID tests through the Erie County Health Department are provided at no cost and no doctor referral is needed.
“We expected that we would need to shift our testing resources when our county experienced an increase in cases, and that is happening right now,” said Commissioner of Health Dr. Gale Burstein in a releasted statement. “Our daily positivity rates and volume of daily cases are increasing. This change in testing criteria is part of our aggressive approaches to reversing these troubling trends.”
“Our health care partners and New York State have expanded their capacity to do diagnostic testing in our community,” explained Dr. Burstein. “The demand for diagnostic testing will increase these next weeks and months, and from a public health perspective we are going to direct our resources to breaking the chains of transmission at their sources, with people who have known exposure to the disease and those who are presenting with COVID-like symptoms.”
All appointments with the Erie County Department of Health must be scheduled. You can call(716) 858-2929 for an appointment.
The Erie County Department of Health has been providing point of care tests to symptomatic students and symptomatic school staff who learn and work in school settings. “Schools in NYS-designated ‘yellow zones’ that plan to continue in-person learning will be developing their own testing systems for their school communities,” explained Dr. Burstein. “Given the high community COVID-19 prevalence, ECDOH needs to make COVID-19 testing available for all symptomatic and close contact Erie County residents to break the chain of transmission and bring our case numbers down.”
The county's COVID-19 information line will be closed November 11 for the Veteran's Day holiday. Scheduling will resume on November 12. Appointments will be made based on the new criteria.
