The Uintah Basin will soon have a drive-through COVID-19 testing location after the state announced on Monday plans to increase testing sites and allow more people with milder symptoms to be tested. During Monday’s press conference, state Epidemiologist Dr. Angela Dunn announced that there has been an increase in available tests and there is now unused testing capacity. As a result, any individual with at least 1 of 6 symptoms can qualify for COVID-19 testing and drive-through testing will be made available to remove barriers to being tested, especially in rural areas. In an interview Tuesday morning on Eagle Country 105.5 FM, TriCounty Health Officer Jordan Mathis confirmed that plans are now underway to bring drive-through testing to the Uintah Basin with one sure site to be located at the Vernal TriCounty Health Department location. Mathis says it is hoped the site will be up and running by the end of this week but it will just depend on how soon the state makes the supplies and online setup available in our area. Once the drive-through testing is available, those wanting to get tested will visit www.testutah.com. “They’ve really lifted the testing requirement meaning more and more people are going to qualify for a test,” shares Mathis. “We are excited to have [this coming] here because more testing means more data which means better information for us to fight this disease.” TriCounty Health Department will make an announcement as soon as the drive-through testing is available. Keep up to date on their Situational Update page on www.tricountyhealth.com or their social media pages.
