Benzie-Leelanau Health Department, LynxDx offer free Coronavirus testing this weekend in Suttons Bay and Benzonia
From staff reports
This weekend, Michigan residents will have an opportunity to access drive-thru testing in Leelanau and Benzie Counties. The Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department is partnering with LynxDx (a private lab based out of Ann Arbor) to administer COVID-19 testing on Saturday and Sunday, from 11 am to 3 pm. No appointment is necessary.
Tests will be administered on the following days, in the following locations:
- Saturday, June 20, at Suttons Bay High School (310 S Elm St, Suttons Bay, MI 49682)
- Sunday, June 21, at Benzie Central High School (9222 Homestead Road, Benzonia, MI 49616).
“From a public health perspective, testing remains very important both to ensure early identification of infected individuals but also so that we can gain as much information as we can about the presence of this illness in our area,” said Dr. Joshua Meyerson, the Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department Medical Director. “We are grateful to be partnering with LynxDX to offer this testing in our communities.”
To be tested, you must be a Michigan resident, but do not need to reside in Benzie or Leelanau County. Bring your driver’s license or state-issued ID. Please bring your insurance card. There is no charge to participants for testing. If uninsured you can still be tested and will not be charged.
A doctor’s order and appointment are not required to be tested. You may be tested if you have symptoms, or if you do not have symptoms.
Once you arrive you will be directed into a line where you will review testing information, consent to testing, provide your identification and insurance information, and then proceed to the testing station. The testing is done through a naso-pharygeal swab (e.g. through your nose to the back of your throat) and will be performed by health care professionals. You will remain in your car throughout the entire testing process. Results are expected to take about four days and participants will be notified of results by the Health Department.
The Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department reports only 17 positive cases in the two counties (and no deaths)—12 in Leelanau and 5 in Benzie. Thirteen of those 17 have fully recovered.
Nevertheless, the Health Department stated in a press release last week that “all individuals traveling to northern Michigan for vacation, to stay in seasonal homes or are returning from travel out of the area should consider carefully their risk of exposure during travel (ie: attended a gathering or event, international travel, traveled via public transportation such as plane, train, or bus, traveled to an area with a rising rate of cases of COVID-19). If travel indicates higher risk then they are advised to stay at home for 14 days upon arrival to destination. If they must leave their home, they are advised to wear a face covering, practice social distancing, and frequently wash their hands.
“As we are phasing back into our new normal, it is our goal to support increased testing locally to showcase an improvement in COVID-19 prevalence and risk in our communities and across the state,” said Dr. Meyerson. “With increased testing we will have access to more data to monitor the pandemic risk, and strengthen our capacity for future testing as needed. It is still just as important to follow social distancing, masking, and hygiene measures, as these measures are intended to work together to protect us through these stages of reopening and the allowable community interaction.”
