DECATUR, Ga. – As part of Governor Brian P. Kemp’s push to increase COVID-19 testing in Georgia, especially among symptomatic citizens of any age with direct exposure to COVID-19 and their family members, the DeKalb County Board of Health will begin accepting testing appointments immediately.
As a result, the Board of Health’s COVID-19 call center, which provides information related to risks, prevention, symptoms, isolation, community resources and testing; will expand to Saturday operations, from 8:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. The call center is open during the week from 8:30 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.
Testing criteria will expand to include:
- Hospitalized patients
- The following people with symptoms:
- Healthcare workers, first responders, and other critical infrastructure workers
- Persons residing in long-term care facilities or other group residential settings
- Persons 65 years of age and older
- Patients with underlying medical conditions
- Household members or care givers of any of the groups above
- Persons with close contact with a known COVID-19 case
- The following people without symptoms will also be tested as capacity allows:
- Healthcare workers, first responders, and other critical infrastructure workers that have been exposed to COVID-19
- Residents of a long-term care facility or other group residential setting experiencing an outbreak of COVID-19
Anyone meeting the listed criteria that requests testing must call (404) 294-3700, then select Option 1, to schedule an appointment. Residents must be scheduled in order to enter the testing site location.
To protect patient confidentiality and to prevent potential public safety issues and large gatherings, the specific locations for DeKalb County’s two testing sites will only be disclosed once an individual has scheduled their testing appointment.