Grand Forks to hold COVID-19 testing event Thursday

Grand Forks Public Health, in collaboration with the North Dakota Department of Health (NDDoH) and with support from the North Dakota National Guard, will host a drive through COVID-19 testing event in Grand Forks. Testing will take place on Thursday, May 14 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Alerus Center, 1200 South 42nd St, Grand Forks. The testing will be available for close contacts of those who have tested positive for COVID-19, essential workers and first responders. A close contact is anyone who has had a known exposure to a positive COVID-19 case in the past 14 days. Close contacts are strongly encouraged to take part, as this is a priority testing group. Essential workers include those who have continued to work throughout the pandemic, such as food service, delivery, and healthcare, as well as first responders.

The test at this event is a point in time test, if a person was tested in the early stages of the infection while incubating the virus or exposed to the virus after they were previously tested, they could then later test positive for COVID-19. Therefore, those that have previously tested negative are invited to be tested again.

Additional event details:

• The goal of the event is to test 500 people.
• There is no cost for the test and health insurance is not processed.
• Proof of residency will not be required.
• Proof of employment will not be required.
• The testing process takes approximately 15 minutes. Wait time in line may be longer.
• Those with a positive result will be notified by phone within 24-72 hours.
• Those with a negative result will be notified by email or phone within 48-72 hours, depending on when results are available from the NDDoH Laboratory.
• Testing may be oral or nasal, depending on availability of testing supplies. Antibody testing will not be conducted at this event.
• Those participating in testing must be at least 12 years old.

For questions related to COVID-19, the public can call the NDDoH hotline at 1-866-207-2880 from 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m., 7days/week or Grand Forks Public Health at 701-787-8100, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Monday – Friday. Individuals experience a fever and symptoms, such as cough or difficulty breathing, can call Altru’s 24/7 screening hotline at 701-780-6358, or call your healthcare provider prior to going to the healthcare facility.

For more information and additional resources visit www.grandforksgov.com/covid19.