LOUISVILLE, Ky. — More testing is coming to Louisville as the number of coronavirus cases continue to rise in Jefferson County and the state of Kentucky.
Governor Andy Beshear announced Wednesday a new surge testing location at the Kentucky Expo Center from Oct. 29-31 and Nov. 2-6. The testing site, which was set up by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, could test up to 200 people the first day and then up to 300 people each following day.
According to Beshear, the PCR tests given at this testing site will be able to turn around results within two to three days.
"More people should get tested but the purpose of that is so that we can engage in those protective measures that will help prevent the case count from continuing to go up in our community," Dr. Bill Altman, the consultant leading Louisville's testing efforts, said.
The Dept. of Health and Human Services had also set up sites in three other states this week due to the rising number of cases, including Missouri, Utah, and South Dakota. HHS had set up sites in Wisconsin and North Carolina the prior week.
Data from Kentucky Public Health shows the number of tests has more than doubled the last two months as the state has seen a big increase in new coronavirus cases. But Altman said a study by UofL Health looking at antibody tests has shown the true number of cases could have been more than twice the number of reported cases with asymptomatic carriers unknowingly spreading the virus.
"If you maybe engaged in a little bit riskier behavior by maybe going to a restaurant or a bar, you don't know that you've been exposed to someone," he said. "Or maybe you went to a family gathering that had 15 people."
Altman said testing is just one tool in the larger strategy to contain the spread of the coronavirus. He said once people are tested, if they are positive, they will need to follow health guidelines and self-isolate from other people. Contact tracing will then need to be done to track down others the person may have been in contact with and then test them to ensure the virus does not continue spreading.
"With this amount of spread, with this amount of red counties, we need you to get tested that that if you're positive, you're not spreading it to other people unknowingly," Beshear said.
People can register and find testing locations at https://www.doineedacovid19test.com/ and https://louisvilleky.gov/government/health-wellness/louisville-covid-19-response-testing.