Williamsburg’s Care Now Urgent Care Center offering COVID-19 testing

Williamsburg’s first COVID-19 or novel coronavirus testing site has opened at the Care Now Urgent Care Center, which is located adjacent to IGA off US25W.

The facility is open from 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. seven days a week, and will offer COVID-19 testing during this 12-hour time period each day for anybody, who meets criteria.

“Some people, who are still working, could certainly come in over the weekend, and we would be happy to test them, if they meet criteria,” said a Care Now spokesperson, who added that the number of tests are limited.

Patients wanting coronavirus testing have to first be seen by a nurse practitioner, who will check them for shortness of breath, fever and cough among other symptoms. Patients will also be asked whether they have been exposed to someone with the virus, or have traveled somewhere with confirmed cases.

Patients will be given information about self-quarantining in the event they test positive for the virus.

“It is just so challenging at this time because it could be a cold, it could the flu, it could be allergies,” the spokesperson noted.

Management said that all testing is being done outside with the patient inside their vehicle to limit possible contamination of the office.

The test involves sticking a long swab very far back inside the patient’s nose, which causes many patients to sneeze.

Care Now only started offering the testing Monday, and management said Tuesday morning that they don’t have a count on how many people have been tested yet.

So far there have been no confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Whitley County.

For more information about Care Now’s coronavirus testing, call 549-0123.

The only other coronavirus test site in Whitley County is one that Baptist Health Corbin set up at The Corbin Center.

This site offers “physician-driven” testing, which means that you must have a physician’s order to get tested.