State announces COVID-19 testing sites in Bloomington and Saint Paul, relocation of Mankato and St. Cloud sitesSemi-permanent sites will offer free saliva testing to allToday, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) announced two new semi-permanent COVID-19 community testing sites in Bloomington and Saint Paul, and the relocation of the existing testing sites in Mankato and St. Cloud. "As we continue to make progress on vaccinations, testing remains a key component of our strategy to protect Minnesotans from COVID-19," said Minnesota Commissioner of Health Jan Malcolm. "Through a robust, collaborative testing program, we have removed many obstacles to testing for communities across the state. Combined with social distancing, masking, and staying home when sick, testing can help us slow the spread of the Delta variant as we continue to get as many folks vaccinated as possible." Due to the spread of the Delta variant, demand for COVID-19 testing has increased throughout Minnesota. After getting vaccinated, testing will remain critical to slowing the spread of COVID-19 in the coming months as students and educators return to school and more activities move inside as the weather turns colder. In addition to adding the Bloomington and Saint Paul sites, MDH continues to assess current and projected testing needs and will keep working to meet demand. The Bloomington site will be located at 9930 Logan Ave. S (former DMV). Testing at the Bloomington site will occur Monday – Friday, from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m., beginning Aug. 30. The Saint Paul site will be located at 175 West Kellogg Blvd., Roy Wilkins Auditorium. Testing at the Saint Paul site will occur Monday – Thursday, from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., beginning Aug. 31. The Mankato community testing site currently located at Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center will be moving to the Minnesota National Guard Armory in Mankato, located at 100 Martin Luther King Drive. The last day of testing at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center is Monday, Aug. 30. Testing at the Mankato Armory will begin on Wednesday, Sept. 1. The St. Cloud community testing site currently located at River's Edge Convention Center will be moving to the Minnesota National Guard Armory in St. Cloud, located at 1710 Veterans Drive. The last day of testing at River's Edge Convention Center is Tuesday, Aug. 31. Testing at the St. Cloud Armory will begin on Thursday, Sept. 2. Testing is free at all of the state's community testing sites. Participants will be asked for their health insurance information so the state can bill their insurance company on their behalf. If a person is uninsured or if insurance does not cover some or all of the cost, the state will cover the difference, so testing remains open to all at no cost. Those who arrive for a test should avoid eating, drinking, chewing, or smoking anything for at least 30 minutes before providing a sample. Once they arrive at a testing location, they will self-administer the test by salivating into a funnel attached to a small tube. Site staff will be available on-site to monitor the collection process. While walk-ins are welcome, people seeking testing at state sites can schedule a test at Vault Health. Tests will be processed in Minnesota at the saliva lab in Oakdale. Results will be provided via email in approximately 48-72 hours. Bloomington Testing Site Saint Paul Testing Site Sunday Mankato Testing Site St. Cloud Testing Site How Minnesotans can get a COVID-19 test:
How Minnesotans can get their free shot:
-MDH- |
Thursday, August 26, 2021
News Release: State announces COVID-19 testing sites in Bloomington and Saint Paul, relocation of Mankato and St. Cloud sites
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