Note: This story was last updated at 6:55 p.m.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee on Wednesday announced that free COVID-19 testing will be available to any Tennessee resident, regardless of whether they have the traditional symptoms: fever, cough, and difficulty breathing.
It’s a significant expansion of what the state has been doing, including of the testing criteria and testing sites and dates, said Tennessee Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Lisa Piercey. She said access is being expanded to the uninsured.
“If you think you need a test, we will test you,” Piercey said during a Wednesday afternoon press conference about the COVID-19 pandemic. “Our clinical understanding of COVID-19 is changing rapidly, and we need every Tennessean who isn’t feeling well, even outside of the traditional COVID-19 symptoms of cough, fever, or difficulty breathing, to come out and get tested.”
Lee said those who might want to get tested include those who aren’t feeling well and those who have come into contact with someone who has had COVID-19.
“We need every Tennesseean who isn’t feeling well to understand that they have access to testing,” Lee said. “When in doubt, get a test.”
COVID-19 is a contagious respiratory illness that can be deadly.
[Read more…]