The Bainbridge Island drive-thru COVID-19 testing site is adding eight appointments each day.
There have been complaints that it was too hard to get an appointment, so now there is additional availability.
In addition, appointments can now only be booked no longer than four weeks in advance.
At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, City Manager Morgan Smith said the test site can now handle 32 instead of 24 tests per day. She said medical volunteers can be thanked for that.
She said they are working on trying to do even more. They would like to add online registration for the same day or within 24-48 hours.
Smith said they will try to match what the community wants with “what we can offer.”
She added there have been only four positive cases out of 317 tested, with 43 cases pending.
“Our community is pretty far out there in the continuum of compliance. A lot of what we are doing is working,” she said, adding now that other areas have a higher number of cases, “It’s now more important than ever to stay committeed.”
City officials say that if you have COVID symptoms, please get tested through your primary care physician or urgent care. The testing site should not be used for pre-travel clearance and is not an approved site for travel to Hawaii. Also, a negative test result is not a guarantee and does not provide free rein to participate in large gatherings for the holidays.
“It is possible for an individual to have a test come back negative and still have COVID, depending on where they are in the cycle of the virus,” Emergency Management coordinator Anne LeSage said. “We all have to do our due diligence to follow best practices in limiting how many people we have contact with outside our immediate household, maintaining six feet or more of physical distance, wearing face coverings, washings our hands, etc.”
People who should get tested include those who have symptoms, have come in close contact with an infected person for at least 15 minutes and people who have been asked by a health care provider to do so. Symptoms include: fever or chills, cough, difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting and/o diarrhea.
The site opened Nov. 4 in Town Square in partnership with University of Washington Medicine and volunteers from Bainbridge Prepares and Rotary Club, to support public health goals and the reopening of schools and businesses in the community. Free testing is available regardless of health insurance. You must register online for an appointment at www.solvhealth.com/book-online/pnjkXp. The site is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 1-5 p.m.
The test being used is the nasal self-swab PCR test, and test results are expected 24 to 48 hours from the UW Medicine Lab. This test shows if a person has an active coronavirus infection – it does not check to determine if you previously had COVID.
Email COVIDtest@bainbridgewa.gov with questions regarding the testing site.
Other facilities where you can get a COVID test
Bainbridge Island
BainbridgePediatrics (206) 780-5437
Franciscan Medical Clinic (206) 855-7500
Swedish Medical Group (206) 991-2121
Virginia Mason Medical Center (206) 842-5632
North Kitsap
Harrison Health Partners (360) 479-8022
Immediate Clinic Poulsbo (360) 779-7011
Kaiser Permanente (360) 394-1000
Pacifica Medicine & Wellness (360) 979-0569
Peninsula Community Health Services, Kingston (360) 377-3776
Peninsula Community Health Services Poulsbo (360) 377-3776
Puget Sound Rheumatology (360) 930-6314
Seattle Cancer Care Alliance Peninsula (360) 697-8000
Sound Family Health (360) 394-3500
Speidel Natural Clinic (360) 697-2122
The Art of Health (360) 200-5001
